Pest battle with Heavenly Bamboo — and how I won

I had a serious problem with new canes not reaching full height in the first year on my Heavenly Bamboo earlier this year. Caught it late and had to work hard to bring the plant back. The experience was frustrating but educational.

Now that it's healthy again I can fully appreciate beautiful sound of canes moving in wind, which is remarkable. I've repositioned it in a focal point specimen in a large container and improved my attention to watering heavily in the first season to establish the root system. foliage refresh as older leaves shed in late winter was the proof that the plant had fully recovered — genuinely beautiful. Moral of the story: inspect regularly and catch problems early.