Needmore Bamboo Co.
 
                                             
   
  Phyllostachys Nigra - The Nigra family of cultivars contains some beautiful species of bamboo. Among them are 3 that produce totally black culms (Nigra, N. 'Hale' & N. 'Punctata') and others with various shades of brown culms (N. 'Fulva', N. 'Othello', N. 'Muchisasa') green culms with black sulcus striping (N. 'Megurochiku') black culms with green sulcus striping (N. 'Megurochiku Inversa') green culms with random brown striping (N. 'Shimadake') green culms that are spotted or blotchy brown (N. 'Boryanus') and green culms that turn a ghostly gray color (N. 'Henon').
      Because of its striking beauty with the contrast of green leaves & black culms, many people want to grow the all black Nigra cultivars and many web sites suggest that they are hardy to temperatures as low as -5F. Unfortunately, despite any hardiness ratings to the contrary, the Nigra cultivars are usually a major disappointment in zone 6. This is due to the fact that the culm coloration that makes them so desirable, usually takes more than one and sometimes more than two complete growing seasons to develop.
     Most of the Nigra cultivars are not reliably hardy below zone 7 and will begin to suffer serious culm damage when temperatures fall into the single digits. Total top kill usually occurs when temperatures fall to around 0F and the bamboo will then have to be cut down in the spring. New shoots appear in late April or early May and the new culms are all totally green and indistinguishable from other green species of bamboo. Over the course of the summer, the black Nigra cultivars slowly turn from green to black and by late fall they may be totally black on the lower half of the culm while fading back to green towards the top of the culm. Since these culms usually suffer total top kill during an average winter and must be cut down in the spring, they seldom have a chance to fully turn black. Therefore, more often than not the gardener has green black bamboo! Yes, in a mild winter they may not suffer top kill and will then have time to turn totally black the following summer, but that is the exception and not the norm.
   Although the subspecies Nigra 'Hale' is usually listed as smaller, hardier, and faster to turn black, in my experience it is only smaller! For me the 'Hale' shows cold damage at higher temps and turns black slower. Conversely, Nigra 'Punctata' which can achieve significantly larger sizes than Nigra but is reported to be less hardy and to take longer to blacken has exhibited superior hardiness to the 'Hale' despite being more exposed, and turns black at about the same pace as the Nigra proper. My supplier of these species is reliable and I believe that my plants are true to their names, despite the differences in performance that I see compared to what is generally reported. Perhaps local planting site conditions have more impact on the Nigra cultivars than other temperate species and your results may vary from mine.
   The other Nigra cultivars that offer unique culm coloration take 2 years or more to develop anything other than green culms and as with the Nigra, they seldom have a chance to turn to the desired color. None the less, some of the hardier Nigra cultivars - Nigra 'Henon', Nigra 'Megurochiku', and Nigra 'Shimadake' are very beautiful green bamboos. These cultivars are hardier than the black forms and will winter over more often. This allows the culms to gain some size and the form of these species to my eye, are the most beautiful of all the temperate species.
   If you have plenty of patience, are willing to offer extra winter protection, and are mentally prepared for any disappointments that may arise, then by all means go ahead and give them a try. They'll need your best microclimate for the planting site, preferably one that is wind sheltered and be prepared to wrap them up in blankets or bury them in leaves when extreme cold is forecast. When space is a consideration, I would suggest trying a more reliably hardy species than one of the Nigra cultivars.

                                                                                                           		 
                                             
   
 
Phyllostachys Nigra
        
Phyllostachys Nigra 'Henon'
     
     
     
   
Nigra 'Hale'
 
             
       
                   
             
Nigra 'Megurochiku'
                   
       
                   
                 
Nigra 'Punctata'
                   
         
                   
             Nigra 'Bory' - the culms become splotchy in the second year, if you like this look I suggest that you try Glauca 'Yunzhu' instead, it forms the splotches quicker and is at least 10 degrees hardier, and more likely to size up in zone 6.