Fargesia Robusta in Germany
Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 12:49 pm
Hello All,
I am moving into a newly built end-townhouse next year and have begun planning my garden. The house sits on a 3-way corner lot directly next to a small municipal train station. I am going to have a traditional fence but behind it I'd like some privacy as well and want something that won't take over the neighborhood nor take my lifetime to mature.
After much research I settled on bamboo and then found fargesia robusta recently. It not only looks beautiful but has all the qualities I'd be looking for in a "living fence."
The only concern I have with it is the cold. I found a nursery in Germany that sells it and advertises the plant is good down to -18°C (-1°F). For 95% of the year this is more than adequate for the climate I find myself in, however in mid-to late January we do have occasional days where it dips down to -20°C or so overnight.
By no means is this Siberia but temperatures below -18°C will objectively happen and likely annually. What is everyone's experience with fargesia robusta? Will a night or two at -22°C kill the entire plant or just a few cm off the top of it?
I probably wouldn't anticipate planting anything until April of 2021 or so and then dump a ton of fertilizer in there to give the plant as much time to "grow in" before the "dangerous" temperatures really start to roll around. Planning on planting each plant approximately 30cm/12" apart so it turns into a fence sooner rather than later.
Thanks again!
I am moving into a newly built end-townhouse next year and have begun planning my garden. The house sits on a 3-way corner lot directly next to a small municipal train station. I am going to have a traditional fence but behind it I'd like some privacy as well and want something that won't take over the neighborhood nor take my lifetime to mature.
After much research I settled on bamboo and then found fargesia robusta recently. It not only looks beautiful but has all the qualities I'd be looking for in a "living fence."
The only concern I have with it is the cold. I found a nursery in Germany that sells it and advertises the plant is good down to -18°C (-1°F). For 95% of the year this is more than adequate for the climate I find myself in, however in mid-to late January we do have occasional days where it dips down to -20°C or so overnight.
By no means is this Siberia but temperatures below -18°C will objectively happen and likely annually. What is everyone's experience with fargesia robusta? Will a night or two at -22°C kill the entire plant or just a few cm off the top of it?
I probably wouldn't anticipate planting anything until April of 2021 or so and then dump a ton of fertilizer in there to give the plant as much time to "grow in" before the "dangerous" temperatures really start to roll around. Planning on planting each plant approximately 30cm/12" apart so it turns into a fence sooner rather than later.
Thanks again!