About
This tall, hardy, slow-spreading evergreen bamboo to a height of 6m or more, forming wide, glossy green canes of around 7cm in diameter. Ideal for a slow-growing screening plant, creating a bamboo grove or using as a single architectural specimen. The shoots are edible and can be harvested for culinary purposes.
About the genus
Phyllostachys are attractive, large, evergreen bamboos with running rhizomes, although in cool temperate climates may initially behave like clump-forming genera. Canes grooved on alternate sides between the nodes, with usually two leafy branches at each node
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun, Partial shade
Soil typeChalk, Clay, Loam
Soil pHAcid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained
AspectEast-facing, South-facing, West-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH5
Plant details
Plant typeBamboos
HabitBushy, Clump forming, Columnar upright, Spreading branched
FoliageEvergreen
Height4-8 metres
Spread2.5-4 metres
Time to full height5-10 years
Suggested usesArchitectural, Cottage and informal garden
Native toChina
Care notes
CultivationGrow in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil, in full sun or partial shade. Protect from cold drying winds. In a container grow in a peat-free, loam-based potting compost and feed with a balanced liquid fertiliser monthly during the growing season. May remain clump-forming in poor or dry soils but has the potential to become a nuisance in warm, moist or favourable conditions; see bamboo control and bamboo cultivation
PruningRemove 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
PropagationPropagate by division in spring
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to damage from slugs on new growth
Disease resistanceGenerally disease-free