About
Chimonobambusa marmorea is a compact bamboo that reaches a height of up to 2 meters. It features young shoots that are lime green, adorned with marbled patterns of brown and white. The canes, which take on a purple hue in bright sunlight, arch gracefully and support short, tufted branches. The leaves are slender and measure approximately 10 cm, displaying a vibrant grass-green color.
About the genus
Chimonobambusa consists of shade-tolerant bamboo species characterized by vigorous, spreading rhizomes. These plants develop upright canes that are complemented by elongated, drooping leaves shaped like lanceheads.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Partial shade
- Soil type
- Loam
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, East-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H5
Plant details
- Plant type
- Bamboos
- Habit
- Suckering
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 1.5-2.5 metres
- Spread
- 1.5-2.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Architectural, Patio and container plants
- Native to
- Japan
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Sun tolerant but best grown in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in partial shade, sheltered from cold winds. Can become very invasive in warm, moist or favourable conditions; see bamboo control and bamboo cultivation. In a container grow in a peat-free, loam-based compost and feed with a balanced liquid fertiliser on a monthly basis during the growing season
- Pruning
- Remove weak, dead, damaged or spindly stems in spring and thin to show off stems to best effect. Cut out any flowering shoots promptly to discourage more from forming - see bamboo cultivation
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed, division or take rhizome cuttings in spring. Divisions may be slow to establish
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to slugs
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free