Phyllostachys atrovaginata: Popularly known as “incense bamboo”, this variety has a waxy coat that gives the culms a very pleasant fragrance in hot weather or when rubbed.Young shoots appear very dark, almost black, turning a rich, dark green as they mature, usually with pretty, white rings around the culm nodes. Phyllostachys nuda: A very attractive and cold-hardy species, its shoots get 1-2 inches in diameter and 25-30 feet in height.Cold hardy to at least -10º F, even down to -25º with proper mulching. The one-inch shoots will grow up to about 20 feet in height. Phyllostachys bissetii: Very dense-growing, with a thick bushy canopy, and very cold hardy.It’s also a bit more cold-resistant than ordinary water bamboo, hardy down to -10º F. It’s one of the few varieties that actually has a solid stem, rather than being hollow inside. Phyllostachys heteroclada f. solida: This subspecies of “water bamboo” is commonly known as “solid bamboo”.But in zones where it regularly gets below -10 or 15º F, it probably won’t grow more than 10 feet tall. This visually interesting and attractive variety can grow up to nearly 50 feet in height, even in freezing temperatures. A subspecies known as “crookstem bamboo” has shoots that sometimes grow in a zig-zag manner. Phyllostachys aureosulcata: The “yellow groove bamboo” is easily recognizable for the yellow stripe that’s visible on the dark green culms.‘Jiuzhaigou’ Red dragon, Black cherry Clumping bamboo, compact but colorful Indocalamus tessellatus Giant leaf bamboo Short, shrubby runner with giant leaves Bashania fargesii Windbreak bamboo Very aggressive runner, with sturdy upright culms Sasa palmata Dwarf variety with vigorous, running rhizomes Botanical name Common name Description Phyllostachys aureosulcata Yellow groove bamboo Running bamboo with distinctive yellow stripe Phyllostachys heteroclada f. solida Water bamboo Running bamboo with solid (rather than hollow) canes Phyllostachys bissetii Bissetii Running bamboo with dense dark green foliage Phyllostachys nuda Nuda Running bamboo with an attractive appearance Phyllostachys atrovaginata Incense bamboo Running bamboo with waxy, aromatic coating Phyllostachys parvifolia Running bamboo with thick canes and small leaves Phyllostachys vivax Vivax Running timber bamboo Fargesia murielae Umbrella bamboo Clumping bamboo with colorful bluish culms Fargesia nitida Blue fountain bamboo Clumping with colorful culms and cascading leaves Fargesia dracocephala Dragon head bamboo Clumping with thick canes and weeping foliage Fargesia rufa Rufa Clumping bamboo for cool, shady areas Fargesia sp. The fact is, most clumping bamboos come from tropical and subtropical climates, so cold-hardy clumpers are especially rare and desirable. This and their extreme cold hardiness have made many varieties of Fargesia very popular among gardeners. Unlike Phyllostachys, the Fargesia bamboos are chiefly dense-growing clumpers. (Photo by Fred Hornaday)įargesia is another major genus of bamboo, also indigenous to China and Southeast Asia. The genus Phyllostachys includes dozen of cold-hardy bamboo species. But you’ll want to keep a close eye on these running bamboos to be sure they don’t become invasive, as runners sometimes do. Almost every species of Phyllostachys is a fast-spreading runner (with an aggressive rhizome root system), and many of them are cold-hardy, down to -5 or -10º F. Phyllostachys is one of the most widespread genera of bamboo, primarily native to China and including about 50 distinct species. But there are also a few varieties of clumping bamboo that can withstand a deep freeze, Running bamboo tends to be more suitable for cold climates. But the long answer is that it really depends on what variety of bamboo you are growing. We hear this question all the time, especially from our friends in Canada. Note: This article first appeared in January 2019, last updated in October 2022. But some of the cold-hardiest bamboo species are actually clumpers, from the genus Fargesia. Runners, therefore, especially of the genus Phyllostachys, tend to be the most popular in cold climates. In general, running bamboo is considered temperate, as opposed tropical bamboo which is clumping. Many species will withstand temperatures as low as -10º to -20º F. There are dozens of varieties of cold-hardy bamboo that can tolerate snowy winters and freezing temperatures. But with so many varieties to choose from, you can be sure that a sufficient number of bamboos will grow happily in the snowy mountain regions and far northern latitudes like Canada. There are more than a thousand species of grass in the bamboo family, and many of the most popular bamboos for gardening come from the tropics or subtropics, so they much prefer the warmer climates.
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