BAMBOO CLIMATE ZONE INDEX
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area of the country. There are many shrub and ground cover bamboo, also
very cold hardy, but they are not listed on the links below.
Cold hardy or temperate running species of bamboo all tolerate heat very well
and most are drought hardy. Winter temperatures however are very important and we will be happy to help you select the correct bamboo that will remain evergreen
for your location.
ZONE 4 - have winter temperature ranging from -30 F to -20 F
ZONE 5 - have winter temperature ranging from -20 F to -10 F
ZONE 6 - have winter temperature ranging from -10 F to 0 F
ZONE 7 - have winter temperature ranging from 0 F to +10 F
ZONE 8 - have winter temperature ranging from +10 F to +20 F
Bamboo for the Southeastern United States
Bamboo for the Northeastern United States
Bamboo for the Southwest and Midwestern United States
Bamboo for the Northwestern United States
Runners or Clumpers, No Contest
If running bamboo were going to take over the world, it would have done so thousands of years ago. There are running species (temperate cold hardy, Leptomorph) of bamboo which we love and there are clumping (Pachymorph) species. We dislike the clumping species and specialize in cold hardy runners. We currently grow 152 different species of which around twenty are clumping species. I have never been impressed with the look or growth rate of clumping bamboo.
I have some Bambusa multiplex varieties that have finally reached 8 to 12 feet in height. These were top killed each winter for many years, but now have the root structure to remain evergreen. They were planted in 1995 to give you an idea of how fast a subtropical clumper grows here in zone 7.
- Running bamboo can provide a serene privacy screen or a beautiful bamboo grove to walk through. Runners with easy maintenance can make a dense natural screen.
- Clumpers for screening purposes leave a lot to be desired as they are narrow at the base and weep over at the tops leaving huge gaps between each bamboo plantings.
- There is a running species for most all climate zones. From the cold of climate Zone 5 to the warmth of the tropics, there is a running species suited for all applications.
- Clumpers are very limited to the areas they can grow.
- The cold hardy clumping species ( mostly mountain bamboo) are very limited in the climate zones they can live in. They take years to reach 8 to 12 feet in mature heights. In climate zones 6 and warmer, clumping species struggle to survive and usually die due to the summer heat and humidity. You waste money just as Roger Sr. did years ago when he tried to grow many different clumping species. In cold climate zone 5, they will do fine if you desire a slow growing bamboo that matures at 8 to 12 feet in height. For screening purposes they leave a lot to desire as they are narrow at the base and weep over at the tops leaving huge gaps between each bamboo plantings. We sold hardy clumpers for a while and our customers were not happy, so we stopped dealing with clumpers because of their poor growth performance.
- Tropical clumpers can only be grown in very warm climate zones such as zone 8 and 9. The tropical clumpers are giants and can grow very fast like running bamboo. The problem is the limited climate zones and the spacing of the canes within the clumper. The spaces between the culms (canes) are so close most specimens are very unsightly due to the large amount of dead canes and limbs in the interior of the clump. These dense dead canes and limbs cannot be reached unless some of the outside canes are cut away first. The tropical clumpers I have seen in my travels have been poorly maintained and are unsightly giving bamboo a bad image. Even a well kept botanical garden such as Fairchild Botanical Gardens in Miami, FL which we visited in 2003 for a bamboo meeting, had thousands of unsightly dead canes in their clumping bamboo. A grove of running bamboo is unparalleled in my book and we have seen thousands of groves over the past 50 plus years.
- Control of running bamboo is simple and there are
numerous methods
which we have listed on our web site. Click here to read about growing
habits and control methods: Growing Habits
- Control of clumping bamboo is almost impossible. It is not as aggressive, but is forceful about where it wants to grow. Running bamboo follow the path of least resistance and change directions when they become impeded. Clumpers are persistent and will force their way through obstacles in their outwardly spiraling root path.
We
hope to help you find the right bamboo
species for your needs and location.
Bamboo truly has something to offer all gardeners and plant collectors.
Bamboo truly has something to offer all gardeners and plant collectors.
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1-877-RZN-CANE
or
1-205-686-5728