I have my black bamboo planted in the ground. I have never tried growing it as an indoor/outdoor container plant, but I can tell you that containerized bamboo will suffer if you leave it outside. If it is in the ground (and mulched) it will have a much greater chance of making it. Not sure where you are, but I am in northeastern New Jersey and have had black bamboo in the ground now for years here. In a especially cold winter it may burn somewhat in sunny exposed sites but it will recover quickly in the spring and summer.

Thanks for the info. I'm in North Bergen, NJ. I will take it outside for the winter and see how it does in the container. We have too many trees in the backyard already. There is just no more room to place it in ground.

There would be room in the courtyard, but it's concrete.
Hopefully it will be fine in the container and recover in the spring.

If you leave the Phyllostachys nigra (black bamboo) outside in a container, I would expect major burning of the leaves if not the complete death of the plant. (Better off in a frostproof garage or coolish interior position if you can't get it into the ground. There is NO comparison between overwintering a plant in a container and overwintering in the ground. Containers don't offer much protection from the cold.

I don't have a garage. I live in a city. The house does get chilly because we don't control the heat. Think it will recover ok if I leave it indoors and just take it out in the spring.