I am particuarly interested in some type of species that can survive and grow fairly well in a zone 8b or 9a type environment (if there are any like that). During the summer temperatures frequently reach the 90s and enter the 100s sometimes. Night time temperature also can at times remain above 70.

The minimum temperature during the winter often is in the lower twenties although a brief period of below 20 is not impossible. I could try to grow the bamboo in a pot until it reached a hardy size if cold tolerance is a problem (yet not too severe of a problem).

I have a Yushania Anceps which appeared to be harmed to some degreed by the warm summer of 2005. I planted it in May 2005. It has since made a substantial recovery and has sent up a very large amount of bushy culms. The height of these culms is considerably less than the largest culms all of which survived from last year (though the color of their culms are either yellow or a darkish almost faded blackish purple color). The new culms are quite thin as well though they have begun to gradually spread farther from the original place. I do not know whether or not the new growth will be able to survive the heat to a better or worse degree than the large culms survived the summer of last year. I hope that the Yushania will continue to make progress and that the new growth will be more capable of function in the heat however I want to investigate other spreading non-running bamboos in case the situation begins to deteriorate and I must send off the Anceps somewhere where it can survive.

Bill
Bambooweb.info

I could use containment methods such as mowing however if the bamboo is less aggressive than the vast majority or leptomorph types then it would perhaps need only mowing for containment.

I have heard that Pleioblastus Simonii does not spread aggressively (I am not sure exactly how that compares to the aggresive spreaders though). It has many interesting characteristics.