Bamboo isn’t just a plant you see in gardens or privacy hedges—there are different species with completely different personalities: • Clumping bamboo grows tight and stays where you plant it. • Running bamboo sends rhizomes underground like it’s trying to take over the neighborhood. • Black bamboo grows tall and elegant with dark purple-to-black stalks. • Edible varieties have shoots you can cook—if you know how to identify them. But the part most people don’t know? You can literally hear differ