Cold Hardy Bamboo That Does Not Spread

Description

• Bamboo comprises a hard, hollow cane that rises from a specialized bud called a culm. Inside the culm are telescoping layers of leaves and cane material. As the plant grows the culm elongates and sends out a shoot that becomes the cane. The stages of growth are evident as internodes create rings along the cane at intervals. The tip of the cane bears the sheath, which houses the developing leaves. These shoots form at the tip of the cane growth. The leaves open out and are made up of many lance-shaped leaflets. Bamboo has a rapid growth rate and easy culture.

Clumping Bamboo

• Clumping bamboo grows from short rhizomes that grow up and can easily be managed by clipping or mowing. It is generally shorter than the running bamboo, but is easy to care for and generally problem free. Clumping bamboos include the mountain bamboos and several tropical species. It is the mountain bamboos that are the most cold hardy. The most cold tolerant of these are suitable for U.S. Department of Agriculture planting zones 5 to 9, but this can often be extended if the plant is installed against a house in a sheltered area and well mulched.

Bambusa Genus

• Bambusa is a group of clumping, self-contained bamboo. Hawaiian striped bamboo is in this genus and has 50-foot-tall golden canes with stripes. It is hardy to 27 degrees Fahrenheit. A bamboo with the same tolerance is Dwarf Buddah Belly has swollen internodes and may grow to 15 feet. Blue Bamboo and Asian Lemon Bamboo are both able to withstand temperatures to 21 degrees Fahrenheit. Two species of Bambusa stand out as the most cold tolerant. Giant Timber Bamboo is a 55-foot tall form with 5-inch-thick canes. It is hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Graceful Bamboo is just as tolerant and has a 30-foot cane height and forms a naturally arching vase shape.

Fargesia Genus

• Fargesia bamboos are in the extreme hardiness range. These are small to medium plants that are hardy from minus 20 down to minus 10 depending on variety. They are native to cool, moist forests and there are 10 different plants to chose from. Fargesia nitidia, F. murielae and a series called Jiuzhaigou are hardy to minus 20 degrees. Fargesia rufa may be grown where temperatures drop to negative 15 degrees. Two versions of F. denudata and F. dracocephela will survive minus 10 temperatures. The king of cold-tolerant bamboos is F. scabridia, which can withstand minus 5 degrees Fahrenheit. It has dark orange sheaths with blue and lavender culms and bright green foliage. It is an attractive and sturdy plant for your landscape.