Favorite Bamboo

[benboo]

Whats your favorite bamboo? Any that do particularly well?

[Polo]

for me Phyllostachys bambusoides albovariegata ( 11 shoots this year so far ) and Phillostachys bambusoides subvariegata (1 new shoot for the moment )
Why for the beauty full leaves they make
I really like all the variegated bamboos

Polo

[mantis]

Bambusa emeiensis 'Viridiflavus'.


Up until this winter Bambusa sp. 'Nana' would have been right up there, but hitting 18°F took it out completely. All of the other bamboos that froze to the ground put up survival shoots, and are coming back. Nana is dead. It is the only bamboo I flat out lost 100%. Good thing it was the most expensive bamboo in my collection

[benboo]

Haa Haa nice... mother nature can suck.....

My favorite bamboo has to be P. Atrovaginata or P. nigra 'Henon'. The incense bamboo has been great putting up one huge culm this year that was a lot bigger than last year's.

[stevelau1911]

I basically like all my in-ground bamboos because they've been performing well for me. Most of them were planted 1 year ago so I know I'll probably change my mind, but my top 3 are now Parvifolia, Moso, then Dulcis. My Incense went from 2-2.5ft to 3 culms that are 6-7ft so I'm pleased with its progress, but the other 3 have more distinct forms. If moso bicolor puts on a showstopper next year, that might be in my top 3 list, but I don't like judging them until I've seen them grow for a while and put up shoots.

1) Parvifolia I like how this one fans out and possesses tiny leaves on long branches. The plant looks very angular is completely hardy in z6 and I have high hopes of it making a jump in size next year considering the huge increase in foliage this year despite only 1ft of upsize.


2) Moso This plant turns into a solid bush when fully leafed out(this picture is only from the middle of June), looks very unique with its over-all form and grows very vigorously. I just wished it wouldn't leaf burn here, but overall it's a very rewarding plant.


3) Dulcis This one generally puts out very few culms, but each one looks very well developed and full when leafed out. It also makes nice fat shoots that kind of have a crook-stem on the lower nodes giving it a wavy look.

[ghmerrill]

Chimonobambusa tumidissinoda......

How can you get any cooler that that!

Now, if it just had a variegated form!

[trepanier]

Phyllostachys atrovaginata b/c i think it has a really nice overall form a nice srong looking bamboo for its hight and the new shoots are something i really like about it but no smell

[BlackThumbNJ]

That I have seen

Lako and Painted bamboo.
Teague's blue and Mexican weeping are second or third.

That I own and can grow in my climate. That really narrows it down.

Jiuzhaigou 1. Tiny leaves, very colorful and nice new shoots. Even the immature plant is pretty, also clumping so easy to take care of in the ground. Pretty small though.

Still have to see how Dr. Don's new culms look after the sheaths fall off. He will not be able to live outside in my climate though.

[dudley]

chungii right now. it sized up quickly, showed no damage in record cold, and is beautiful.
it could change though if D. minor "amoenus" continues to perform. it also showed zero damage in this years record setting winter. needs a couple more years to really know.

[stevelau1911]

My bamboo preferences have changed after a few years since some species gain size faster, look better, and tolerate the cold more. Here's my revised list.

#1) Phyllostachys propinqua beijing: I'm really amazed at how it continued to produce shoots into the fall. It also seems to have strong wood and might be the cold hardiest bamboo I have right now. The new shoots are well upsized, over 1/2 inch, not caliper measured yet, but clearly at least 2X bigger than the existing culms. Being completely hardy in z6 makes it more reliable than most other species.


#2) Fargesia Nitida: I"m not that big into clumpers, but I like how F Nitida looks completely top-killed over winter, and then unrolls its leaves when it warms up, and makes a full recovery every spring. I've read somewhere that they can't tolerate full sun, but I have several divisions that get sun all day, and they thrive since the relative humidity is usually high, and we don't get hot here. A few miles north right by the lake shore, I don't think it even reaches 80F. More than anything, I like its appearance, and I might be needing some more fargesia species if they are anywhere near the hardiness of this one.


#3) Phyllostachys Dulcis: This one tends to get up in size pretty quickly, except it doesn't make that many culms. Rhizomes also only seem to travel about 2ft each year, and grow huge so I can usually predict where shoots will be coming up. I also like the fat stem look with few branches however this species is a step below propinqua in hardiness around here. It still hasn't suffered top kill yet after 2 winters. It's newest shoots may be over 1 inch now, and should reach 1.5 in another year at its growth rate.



Parvifolia is still high on my list however it doesn't seem to up-size very fast here, and is still a bit less hardy than propinqua, perhaps a similar hardiness to dulcis. It does proliferate very well, and I might rate it in the top 3 if it keeps shooting again throughout the year with progressively larger shoots.

Moso is still OK on my list, and might be my favorite if It was 2 zones warmer, but it looks like its overall potential in size will be limited by the climate here.

[moriphen]

I've come to enjoy Thamnocalamus tessellatus the most out of all my bamboo. Its the only full sun clumper I can grow and as a direct result its also the most prolific grower I have. I've been rewarded with half inch culms this year and almost no leaf loss. Bonus points for letting wild flowers seed and grow around its base this year.



M

[Cyberous]

The all mighty Moso!

Why I love it?
1. Can't grow it here (Absence makes the heart grow fonder,... or some thing like that)
2. Huge sized Clums (masculine) tiny leaves (feminine) ying/yang
3. Featured in so many bad ass Kung Fu Movies

Don

[bamboothew]

I like interesting culm features. So far vivax Aureocaulis has been my favorite beacause of the amazing buttery color of the new culms and the random green striping, as well as, of course, the great upsize potential. Then comes moso, just because of the uniqueness of the culms and huge size. These are followed closely by nigra, as well as aureosulcata Aureocaulis and spectabilis. Allgold and Castillon could be high on that list as well if it gains hardiness over the years. Chinese walking stick would be a favorite even without the hardiness if I could eventually just get some culms a few feet tall after the yearly topkill.

Pretty much, though, I just love bamboo in general! Maybe they are all my favorite

[Alan_L]

Chinese walking stick would be a favorite even without the hardiness if I could eventually just get some culms a few feet tall after the yearly topkill

Have you tried tarping over it for the winter?