There are hundreds of varieties of bamboo that will grow well in Houston.

To help narrow your selection down a bit, it would be helpful to know what they will be planting it for, such as a hedge or a single plant.

Clumping bamboo vs running bamboo is definitely something to consider. Culm colours can be green, yellow, gray, blue, black, yellow with green stripes, and the list goes on.

Leaf size varies also, and some leaves are variegated. Height of the bamboo will also help narrow down your choices. Will it be planted in the shade or in full sun?

Kt

Hi Kt,

My friend wants bamboo with bright green culm, no thicker than 2" in diameter, no varigation in leave color. And she wants to plant quite a few in her back yard. She is from China and she misses the bamboo grove in her hometown. She said that running types were OK for her. But I wonder whether it will be hard to contain once they mature, because the growing condition sounds perfect for lots of bamboo in Houston.
Thanks.

How tall can she have it grow?

I would recommend clumpers first, but if none suit her, then we can look into some runners.

She may be interested in Buddha's Belly Bamboo. Would she remember the variety that was growing in her hometown?

Let me know, and we will go from there.

Kt

She doesn't know the variety name, but it is not Buddha's Belly Bamboo. She says it does not have to be the same kind in her hometown. Any green bamboo not taller than 9 feet and easy to grow will do.

Without topping the bamboo, it will more than likely not grow 2 inches in diameter, unless it is Bambusa vulgaris 'Wamin' another form of Buddha Belly with more prominent 'bellies'.

One other question that I forgot to ask earlier was, does she want to plant "quite a few" to form a grove, or to have several individual clumps in different locations throughout her yard?

Bambusa multiplex 'Golden Goddess' and B. multiplex 'Willowy' WANG TSAI, both grow to just over ten feet here and are both nice tight clumpers. GG has culms up to one inch in diameter, WT has culms about 1/2 inch in diameter.

B. multiplex 'Riviereorum' CHINESE GODDESS grows to about 7 feet, has tiny leaves, but has culms less than 1/2 inch thick.

B. multiplex 'Tiny Fern' is a smaller bamboo growing to only 3 feet tall.

The above, are all clumpers, but I don't think they are what she is looking for.

If she is looking for a grove, so she can walk through it, then she will want a runner, but again, thick culms growing to only 9 feet will be tough to come by.

Can she give any other descriptions that might be helpful?

Kt

Ok, talked to my friend about this more in details. Here is what she is after. The bamboo grooves in her home town is probably taller than 9 feet and the culm is probably less than 2". She doesnot remember all the details. She just misses walking through a bamboo groove. Her backyard is 60'X70'. So she has room for a runner. She eats bamboo shoots as vegetable so she has a way to contain it:-)
So, a runner that's not too tall and grows well in Houston. Thanks.

Below are four runners that will form nice groves and also have edible shoots. The first one, aptly named Sweetshoot Bamboo, is one of the best tasting, but all four listed below are mostly free from acrid taste.

Phyllostachys dulcis SWEETSHOOT BAMBOO
Phyllostachys nidularia
Phyllostachys nuda
Phyllostachys rubromarginata

All of these can get quite large if left to grow freely. In a small contained area, they will generally remain less than 20 feet in our area.

A clumper with edible shoots is Bambusa Oldhamii, a very large and erect growing bamboo, so if she has the room, it would be a nice one to try.

Good Luck

Kt

Kt
Thank you very much.

You're Welcome, and let me know what bamboo she decides to grow or if you/she needs some further assistance.

Good Luck

P.S. I stopped at a nursery a few years ago in Cortez, CO. I asked for bamboo and they said that they had some lucky bamboo and some heavenly bamboo, neither which are true bamboos. They did have some very nice bamboo candles. I bought some and still have them since I think that they are too pretty to burn. A bamboo token, from my trip to Colorado.

Kt

I think I'm looking for the exact opposite bamboo species from 'lovehummingbirds'. I, too, am in Houston where a giant house has been built right nextdoor. It's 4 stories and has lots of windows that look right down into our backyard! So, we need something tall and fast growing that will do well in the 1ft strip of planting bed between our driveway and the property line. The area is in the sun most of the day in the summer, but their house is south of us, so winter sun might be more fleeting. Can you suggest a species that might work? I don't mind the spreading bamboo, but am a bit nervous about agressively invasive varieties.