Which bamboo species is right for me?

[BambooGuru]

I would like a species that:
- Is fast growing
- Fast spreading
- Cold hardy (I live in zone 5)
- At least 1.5 inches in diameter
I would like bamboo to grow wild in my woods, so I WANT it to be invasive. I would like a "bamboo forest". Please feel free to ask me any questions. Thank you for your answers.

[stevelau1911]

Lots of species should get into the 1 inch territory, but it just depends on what is more important for you. Some of the screeners such as the aureosulcatas, and bissetiis may spread quickly with many culms, but the drawback is weak culms that break often and often a problem with skinny culms growing thickly.

There are larger ones such as parvifolia and atrovaginata which can reach bigger diameters, but they may be slower to spread, especially with too much shade so it may be necessary to cut out some of the trees. For any of them, 1.5 inches should still be difficult for zone 5, but possible.

Phyllostachys virella may be the hardiest, but we don't know if it can get up in size yet.



If you want a roaming grove with 1.5 inchers, then you would simply have to go with the ones with top knotch cold hardiness as well as high size potential. If you have a pond, you would still be able to get away with good size if you start the planting close to the edge so that roots can get much more moisture through the winter. If you don't have a pond, then the other option would be to protect it.

Here's an example of parvifolia and atrovaginata close to a pond after 2 seasons of growth from something equivalent to a 1 gallon size plant in zone 6a Connecticut.

Parvifolia (tallest culm 8ft)




Atrovaginata (tallest culms 6ft)


Here's what you can get out of yellow groove after 3 seasons of growth under the same conditions. (Tallest culm 11ft)




If you really don't mind over-wintering the bamboo with a polytunnel where you literally build a greenhouse around it, you could even go for the absolute largest. This doesn't require heating here in zone 6, but may be necessary for you. Here where most winters get into the lower single digits, I'm able to grow phyllostachys edulis bicolor with ease as long as I put up a greenhouse to block out the wind and insulate it over the winters.

It may appear tough to tarp something like this over, but it's much easier than it appears, even if this was 3X this height (11ft)



You may want to learn more about these species to find out which one works best for you.

[dependable]

I would vote Phyllostachys bissetii, although I don't know about zone 5.

[canadianplant]

It could depend on a few things.

Are you willing to bend it to the ground in the winter, or are you going to leave it and see if it top kills or not?
How deep and reliable is snow there?
Are you willing to spend the money on getting a large plant?
Is the area you are going to plant it protected from cold winter winds, or is it exposed?

Bissetti was suggested already. Steve mentioned the Phyllostachys virella. Its relatively new and good to experiment with if you can find it. You should think of Phyllostachys parvifolia. You may want to look up Phyllostachys areosulcata types. Spectabolis is thought to be hardy, so is the species. "Alata" is widely grown, but data about its hardiness and growth seem to be a bit conflicting.

Ive learned that I probably wont get any massive size up here in zone 4, so I am investing in mostly fargesia. Some are slow growers but eventually get a decent height. The three to try are Fargesia Nitida, Fargesia murielae and F sp "rufa". Just beware of hardiness ratings. Too many sites over exaggerate or dont explain that at the temps they suggest there will be 100% top kill. When I say they survive up here, keep in mind I bend them to the ground every winter, mulch and tarp them. I also have reliable snow cover. Sometimes they even get a bit fried under the cover if I dont bury them deep enough.

[BambooGuru]

The snow isn't reliable at all here. One year we get three feet of snow the next not an inch. I would not like to chop any of the trees down.

[jd.]

- Cold hardy (I live in zone 5)
- At least 1.5 inches in diameter

In zone 5, winter often results in losses of above-ground growth in locations where the bamboo lacks shelter from the cold winds. To make up for winter losses with vigorous growth, a bamboo will need full sunlight and good soil conditions during the growing season. Left unprotected in a partially shaded area in this region, a running bamboo may spread but struggle to gain 6 feet or less than 2 meters in height.

Winter conditions in zone 5 will limit many bamboos to small bushy growth, so you may desire to choose a hardy vigorous bamboo that naturally tends toward a larger diameter like Phyllostachys parvifolia. This bamboo also has the unique characteristic of culms that grow at an angle when the plant is young. This trait gives young parvifolia plants a survival advantage in years when they can remain sheltered under several feet of snow cover during the coldest days of winter.

[Nicholas]

I'd try several different species (spaced far enough apart so if one is totally underperforming you can easily tell which is which) and make a decision after a few years which one(s) to keep.
If you want thick culms maybe Parvifolia or Atrovaginata will work but zone 5 is pushing it.

As said before shade will also be a limiting factor. A lot of sources suggest that enough summer heat and light will harden new culms off faster making them a bit more cold hardy for the upcoming winter.
Naturally fargesias are more adapted for forest undergrowth and probably better suited for the location but they are clumpers and don't produce thick culms....

Best of luck with your plantings!

[canadianplant]

IF snow isnt reliable then you will be mulching the groves during the winter. A lack of snow can even stress hardy and native plants. Parvifolia is probably your best chance in terms of a decent sized bamboo. Otherwise fargesias are the best choice for your area.

[johnw]

I have to agree with the sun requirement. Here at latitude 44 Phyllos simply do nothing unless they have full sun or a minimum of full overhead light. In a woodland you will have small culms wandering weakly to find light, but only for a while until they peter out.

Try Fargesia nitida but not in dense dense shade.

[Leo S]

I'm at the IL-WI border, just a couple miles south of Kenosha. I suggest you try Phyllostachys atrovaginata. It has sized up fairly nice, I have 8 - 10 foot at 3 years, and the culms are larger diameter than aureosulcata of the same height, so visually it looks bigger. I like the slightly darker green color too. A very nice green bamboo.

By the way, due to trees, most of my yard only gets about half sun, direct sun in mornings until noon, then trees shade the yard in the afternoon.

So far, at one winter only, Phyllo. parvifolia came through with no winter damage. It may size up, but I don't know (yet).

My favorite for appearance is Phyllo aureosulcata aureocaulis, a little nicer than aureosulcata 'Spectabilis' and 'Harbin Inversa' though they are nice too. The aureocaulis has nice fairly bright yellow culms, that really show well. It will not size up the way you might like, but it sure is pretty. And quite hardy. Has done well with little or no protection, and the normal form of aureosulcata has survived almost 30 years here with no extra protection. Killed to the ground the winters where we got below -15 F, but always came back from the rhizomes in spring. Came back after a record breaking -25 F way back in 1983. Haven't seen cold like that since, probably never will again (the up side of global warming).


I planted some Phyllostachys rubro-marginata has done well at a location quite a bit south of here, sized up very quickly, into the size range you are looking for. It was not quite hardy here, when I last tried it here a decade ago, but winters here are definitely warmer than when I tried it 10 years ago. It might be worth trying, understanding that if we ever get a 'normal' winter it will go backwards. But if we continue to have our 'warm' winters, it will size up nice. It is readily available and sometimes quite cheap. Worth a try.

[ShmuBamboo]

For runners, I would suggest Phy. nuda. That stuff is one of the most cold tolerant that there is, and they look the same as Phy. bisettii when grown side by side here (at Bamboo Gardens the same size and age stands look the same in zone 7b/8a).

The most cold tolerant of my running bamboos here are Nuda, Atrovaginata, all 4 types of vivax (thin vivax culms are prone to breaking under snow load though), the Phy. nigras, including black, Henon, Bory, Megurochiku, Daikokuchiku, the aureosulcatas, including yellow groove, Alata, Harbin, Harbin Inversa, Spectabilis, and aureocaulis. Phy. Glauca, Rubromarginata, viridis Robert Young and Dulcis also do well here in cold. My Ps. japonicas also do well here, and they are bullet-proof in this climate. Semi. fastuosas also do well here, but they do not spread very much due to vole predation. Of these, Bory, Rubro, vivax, atrovaginata, nuda and Harbin inversa have grown the fastest.

[dependable]

I would agree that nuda is as cold tolerant as bisettii, but bisettii is much faster growing, at least twice as fast in up sizing and spread.

[jd.]

The nuda here doesn't seem especially winter hardy compared to other exposed cold hardy bamboos, thus far always losing nearly all leaves to winter. Despite the damage, the nuda does spread readily even while being limited to a short height.

For comparison, a similarly exposed Phyllostachys mannii 'decora' retained more green leaves through the last two winters here.