Needmore Bamboo Co.
                                     
   
Phyllostachys bissetii - in my opinion Bissetii is the best screening bamboo for Zone 6 and surely for Zone 5 gardeners it is the best species to try. I do hear stories from other parts of the county of Bissetii not holding up nearly as well as my cultivar but it is possible that there are multiple clones of this bamboo or perhaps in some cases it has been misidentified. I can only speak from personal experience and for me this bamboo holds up better than anything but my native Arundinaria Gigantea, having sustained only moderate damage at -12F while only 2 years in the ground.
      This bamboo produces an abundance of culms while still young and this fact combined with its superior hardiness suggests that Bissetii will create a privacy screen faster than any other species in the colder areas of Zone 6. Phyllostachys rubromarginata is an equally explosive culm producer but is a tad bit less hardy than Bissetii. Once well established, Bissetii should hold some green leaves to temperatures of -10F or even colder.  This bamboo produces culms so close together that it is not good for a walk through grove rather it forms a dense, nearly impenetrable tall hedge. I have measured a few culms right at the 20 foot mark in the 3rd year so it would appear as though mine will quickly exceed the usually listed heights, again perhaps suggesting a different clone.
  There is a form that is listed as a separate species under the name Phyllostachys bissetii 'Dwarf Form'. Other reference sites suggest that this form should mature in the 16 - 18 feet by 1 inch diameter range. It is also listed as hardier but usually by only 1 degree so is this really worth considering? Thus far I can see little if any difference between the 2 forms, with the dwarf form at 8-9 feet perhaps slightly shorter than the Bissetii proper at the same age. Time will tell as I have not had either form long enough to speak with certainty.

 
 
          
Front view of 12 single culm divisions of Phyllostachys Bissetii planted 5 feet apart 2 years earlier showing the dense culm production and screening effect that is concealing a 500-gallon LP gas tank directly behind the grove.		  
         
             
               
         This photo was taken 3 months earlier in the same spot as the shoots that became the culms in the photo above were emerging. Note the leaf burn from -12F 15 weeks prior.              
                                   
                         
                   
 
  These 3rd year culms were 18 feet by .75 inch diameter.  Notice the heavy white powder on the new culms, this will quickly fade and the culms will appear dark olive green.
                   
           
                   
         
    Here is a side view showing the depth of the same grove. 35 divisions had been dug from this side of the grove just prior to this 2006 photo.   The photo below is the same side of the grove, 1 year later in 2007.
                   
     
                   
 
                   
         
  The above 2006 photo shows how effective Bissetii is a a screen.  The LP gas tank in the earlier photo is totally hidden by this 3 year old planting of 12 divisions. 		   
                   
     
                   
               

  Phyllostachys bissetii 'Dwarf Form'