Bamboo Bill, Born In Seymour, Draws Wide Response

An Ansonia woman said bamboo made her next door neighbor’s house look like a Vietnam jungle.”

A member of the Mad Gardeners Inc. said the plant can ruin driveways, septic systems and other structures. 

A New Haven county landscaper said it took his company months to remove bamboo from a Woodbridge home — but not before it destroyed an asphalt tennis court. 

Their stories were among about 20 told in written testimony on a proposed bill that would regulate Golden Bamboo plants in Connecticut. 

The state legislature’s joint committee on Environment listened to testimony on the proposal — as well as about a dozen other proposed bills — at an hours long public hearing at the Capital on Wednesday, Feb. 22. 

The bamboo bill was proposed by State Rep. Len Greene, of Seymour, through the Environment Committee. 

Greene was approached by Seymour resident Caryn Rickel last year about her problem with a neighbor’s bamboo plants. Rickel has a lawsuit pending against her neighbors. 

But it’s not just Rickel making noise about the bamboo — as evidenced by the broad reaching testimony. 

I’ve been contacted by people all over the state,” Greene said. 

Greene said he has also received feedback from as far as Florida and California. 

It seems to be a growing problem,” Greene said Wednesday. We just want to make sure people are aware of what they are planting.”

Background

Depending on who you ask, Golden Bamboo is a prime choice for privacy screening“ or a destructive plant that is hard to contain. 

Golden bamboo (phyllostachys aurea) can grow up to 30 feet tall. 

The plant can be an aggressive spreader” in hot climates, according to BambooGarden.com. But it’s also listed as a good sound and sight barrier for privacy. 

The plant is not considered invasive” in Connecticut. 

Fans of the plant say if it’s planted correctly, it can be contained and be beautiful. 

Opponents say it grows wild and destroys everything from septic systems to concrete. 

The Bill

The proposed bill — #5122 — has two parts.

  • It would make the homeowner who plants the bamboo responsible for making sure it doesn’t grow beyond his or her property. Fines could result if violated.
  • It would also require stores selling bamboo to provide a warning telling purchasers that it is a fast growing plant that may spread if not contained.

Greene said the proposal is intentionally vague” so the Environment Committee could get a lot of feedback to help make it more robust. 

PHOTO: Jodie MozdzerWe’re trying to be reasonable to everybody,” Greene said. 

Greene said it’s still early in the proposal process. After the public hearing, the committee will discuss the proposal and possible changes. If the joint committee issues a favorable report on the proposal, it would go before the entire state House, he said. 

It has a bit of a road ahead of it,” Greene said. 

Feedback

The bill received mixed reviews. 

Several homeowners, a soil expert, real estate professionals and environmental advocates said the bill is needed to help contain the bamboo plants spreading throughout the state. 

Some excerpts from their testimony:

  • Please pass House Bill #5122 and ban this nasty invader to protect the environment and innocent people from being exposed to the devastation.”— Ansonia resident, Marguertie Gagnon.
  • Short of a total ban on selling the plant in CT, which I support, this is the only acceptable alternative.” — Michael S. Klein, a soil scientist from West Hartford.
  • Golden Bamboo is a nuisance” with a reputation of being planted without barriers and then spreads into neighbors’ yard.” — Linda Morano, Greenwich Conn.
  • I cannot imagine that requiring notification to buyers would affect nursery income. Rather, the economic impact of running bamboo is negative, impacting home sales, repairs to driveways, septic systems, and other structures, and requiring enormous expense to either control or remove.” — Kathleen Nelson, Mad Gardeners, Inc.

But others —including Bob Heffernan of the Connecticut Green Industries Council — said the bill was unnecessary. 

House Bill 5122 may be both premature and not needed,” the council Heffernan wrote in his testimony. Although it’s aiming in the right direction of personal responsibility of people who plant trees and plants.”

The council statement said education — not legislation — is the best way to solve the problems with bamboo plantings.

When bamboo is contained, it is not a problem,” the group Heffernan stated in its written testimony. 

The Connecticut Nursery and Landscape Association has already created care tags” to put on bamboo for sale, that give information about the risk of spreading. 

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