BamBOO! Does the name scare you? More importantly, does it frighten you? by Linda Askey

Discovering the pleasures of gardening with bamboo may seem like a journey to a foreign land where you don't speak the language, but consider for a moment that few other plant groups are as versatile. In compact housing developments, it is the ideal plant for a tall, fast-growing screen with a narrow footprint.

Because Novalis offers clumping and running forms, there is a bamboo for every garden. They have offerings that give you a choice, whether your climate is hot or cold, large or small.

How tall does it grow? You choose. Whether you need 4 feet or 30 feet, they have a bamboo for the job.

Too cold? Probably not. They offer a choice of bamboos to grow from Zones 4 through 10.

Want a low maintenance secret garden? A path through a bamboo grove is, well, a spiritual experience.

Fun facts:

• The sound of bamboo in a summer breeze is like a mellow wind chime.
• Bamboos are colorful. They can be black, yellow, coral, striped, and even contorted.
• Bamboo shoots in Asian food come from the new culms of Phyllostachys dulcis and P. edulis.
• Bamboo is used to build housing, fencing, scaffolding, and garden ornaments.
• It is used to make dishes for the table, sheets and blankets for the bed, and clothes for your back.
• A grove will control run off and when compared to an equivalent stand of trees. It will release more oxygen than and sequester more carbon.

Put the right plant in the right place, and you can stand back and say, "What's not to love!"

Bamboo has much to offer as an ornamental specimen in the landscape.  Often thought of as tropical, bamboo is hardy in the New England area. Depending on the variety, they may be used as either a single specimen or a ground cover.  Most bamboos are classified as either clump forming or running.  Clump forming bamboos are a single dense formation of stems.  Running bamboos are spreading by underground shoot producing rhizomes.  Bamboo are very tolerant of soil types and growing conditions, and in fact, can be planted almost anywhere. Please note: Bamboos come in two forms clumping and running. Running bamboo needs to be contained, click here to learn more.

The varieties we supply are hardy in our zone. Click here for Bamboo planting and care tips.

Plants that Work® Bamboo
	Clumping Bamboo ‘Rufa’ Fargesia dracocephala ‘Rufa’ Northern Clumping Bamboo Height: 7-8 ’ Spread: 4-5 ’ Foliage: Green with orange-red sheaths Exposure: Partial shade		Clumping Bamboo ‘Alphonse Karr’ Bambusa multiplex ‘Alphonse Karr’ Southern Clumping Bamboo Height: 12-20’ Spread: 6-8’ Foliage: Pinstripes of green and pink Exposure: Partial shade
	Black Bamboo Phyllostachys nigra Running Bamboo Height: 8-10’ Spread: Indefinite Foliage: Green with black stems Evergreen Exposure: Shade/part sun		Dwarf White Stripe Running Bamboo Pleioblastus fortunei Running Bamboo Height: 3-4' Spread: 3-4' Foliage:Green and white variegated leaves Exposure: Full sun/partial shade

Bamboo
	Sunset Glow Bamboo Fargesia rufa Clumping Bamboo Height: 6-8 ’ Spread: 6-8 ’ Foliage: Waxy green Exposure: Shade/ part shade Pinkish leaf branches.		Umbrella Bamboo Fargesia murielae Clumping Bamboo Height: 12-15’ Spread: 10-12’ Foliage: Blue-green Exposure: Shade/ light sun Effective near water or as a specimen plant. Excellent as a container plant.
	Red Fountain Bamboo Fargesia nitida ‘Jiuzhaigou’ Clumping Bamboo Height: 10-12’ Spread: 6-8’ Foliage: Green, tiny Exposure: Part sun New growth turns burgundy-red.		Yellow Groove Bamboo Phyllostachys aureosulcata Running Bamboo Height: 15-25’. Spread: Indefinite Foliage: Green culms with yellow grooves Exposure: Sun/part shade Provides a strong vertical accent.
	Dwarf Fernleaf Bamboo Pleioblastus distichus 'Mini' Running Bamboo Height: 1’ Foliage: Deep green, dense Exposure: Shade/ part sun Useful as a ground cover.		Dwarf Bamboo Sasa pygmea Running Bamboo Height: 1’ Foliage: Green, dense Exposure: Full sun/part sun Very hardy.

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