Phyllostachys Photos


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Needmore Bamboo Co.

Phyllostachys Genus - When most people think of bamboo, the classical bamboo 'look' that we think of is well represented among the Phyllostachys genus.   This genus contains forms that are 70+ feet tall, 6+ inches culm diameter, and come in a variety of culm coloration including black, brown, yellow, golden, yellow with green stripes, green with yellow stripes and a few more combinations. (From this point forward I will limit my discussions about size to what I expect to see in zone 6 and also limit my descriptions mainly to species that I am presently cultivating)  For the most part the Phyllostachys are the species that zone 6 gardeners should think of in terms of privacy screening and grove forming bamboos. Not to say that other genus do not offer species also capable of privacy screens & groves, but the Phyllostachys genus is a logical starting point.
    To many people the distinction between the green culm forms tends to blur quickly and many times I've seen/heard the phrase "..another green Phyllostachys...". I will admit that there is some truth to this and in terms of photographs here I will display photos taken far enough away to try to provide a perspective of how tall & wide the grove has gotten for me to give a view of the overall form of a given species, and an idea of the performance that I am seeing . Unless there are compelling reason to do otherwise, I will not offer close up photos of the green culm forms.
          Hardiness and therefore potential landscape uses vary widely among the Phyllostachys. I feel that zone 6 gardeners can focus on as few as 6 different species that will provide a pretty good range of the potential of the entire genus and these 6 species are all at the top of the hardiness spectrum. There are other desirable species that may offer aspects not represented in the 'hardy 6' but these forms are not as reliable in winter and should be thought of as secondary choices, particularly if privacy screening is paramount. As an example, the different forms of Phyllostachys bambusoides offer the most spectacular variations of culm color but the species is not at all hardy in zone 6 whereas the many forms of Phyllostachys aureosulcata are nearly equal in coloration but vastly superior in terms of hardiness. There are some newly imported Phyllostachys that will add to my list of 6, but these are a few years from being widely available.
   The hardy 6 are each capable of providing reliable privacy screens in zone 6, some a bit more reliable than others, some quicker to establish the screen, and some will make a denser screen but all should be considered as potential screening species.  On average, after 5 years in the zone 6 ground, well tended groves of these 6 forms should be 20 feet in height or taller; 1 inch or more in diameter; evergreen most winters; and should have formed dense groves that are at least 10'x10' from one original division. Site conditions and plant culture habits can certainly cause variations from the above estimates and I offer these estimates only as a general guideline as to what one may expect. The 6 forms include:

Phy. atrovaginata - likely to have developed the largest diameter culms
Phy. aureosulcata - green with yellow sulcus striping
Phy. aureosulcata 'Aureocaulis' - brilliant yellow/orange culms with contrasting dark green leaves
Phy. aureosulcata 'Spectabilis' - bright lemon yellow culms with dark green striping and leaves
Phy. bissetii - medium to dark green culms, as hardy as any in the genus, and one of the quickest to form a screen
Phy. rubromarginata - initially bright green culms fading to yellow/olive, likely the tallest of the 6 and an extremely fast screener with good culm wood for craft purposes

   I have dozens of different forms of this genus and as I write this I am unsure of how to arrange the photos for easy viewing - particularly if like me, you must live within the speed constraints of a dial-up internet connection. Therefore I am certain that my photo database of this genus, along with my many Pleioblastus genus photos will be a work in process for quite some time. In an attempt to get started I will try to group some species into sub-pages so as to reduce the download times. Italicized species/form names will provide links to photos for that particular bamboo as the pages are developed.