Gardeners warned beautiful plant can destroy driveways and crush water pipes

With its towering, slender stems and rapid growth, bamboo is becoming a favourite amongstgardeners. This stunning plant offers excellent coverage and its height makes it a brilliant alternative to traditional fencing.

However, if not properly maintained, this fast-growing plant can turn into a nightmare. It's been known to upheave paving stones, ruin driveways and even damage water and sewage pipes due to its incredibly robust rhizomes.

Rhizomes are the subterranean parts of the stems.

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These aren't roots but modified underground stems that function similarly to roots and grow horizontally through the soil.

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Some varieties of bamboo are 'clumping', meaning their rhizomes grow closer to the main plant, reports the Express.

Other types are known as 'running', which means their rhizomes spread far and wide beneath the ground, and these can cause property damage.

They are strong enough to push through soil, crack pavement, and even infiltrate weak spots in building foundations.

During the growing season, bamboo can grow inches or even feet daily, and this rapid growth means that even a small clump of bamboo can quickly transform into a dense thicket that blocks out light and strangles any nearby plants.

The thick roots of bamboo can absorb water and nutrients from the soil, leaving little for anything else, and the dense canopy of leaves will start to block out sunlight.

However, bamboo can still be a beautiful addition to your garden - you just need to know how to control it.

Plants expert Harry Bodell at PriceYourJob.co.uk has shared his top tips on how to make sure your bamboo doesn't take over.

He said: "It is a good idea to always look for a 'clumping' variety of bamboo.

"These types will grow in a tight clump and don't send out the wild underground runners that can cause the problems we have discussed for your home and garden.

"They are a much safer option for home gardens than their running counterparts."

Should you opt for running bamboo instead, ensure you put in root barriers to prevent it from spreading beyond your desired area.

Harry said: "You can purchase thick sheets made of strong plastic or metal, which should be buried around two to three feet deep into the ground.

"If you make sure that the ends overlap well and are sealed tightly, these sheets should form an effective barrier to stop rhizomes from finding a way to spread further into your garden and the rest of your property."

Should you have bamboo that's already starting to expand beyond where you want it, you'll need to move quickly to eliminate it.

One approach is to dig a trench around the area once or twice a year and chop down any rhizomes that attempt to cross it.

Another option is to simply chop down any fresh shoots the moment you spot them appearing outside of the intended area.

This will gradually weaken the plant over time.

Eliminating bamboo completely can be an enormous task - it's more invasive than Japanese knotweed. You'll have to chop down all of the shoots and dig up as many rhizomes as possible.

This process will need to be repeated over several months or even years to eventually starve the plant. Very large or stubborn infestations may necessitate you to hire professional help.