I live in the Greater Seattle area (Zone 8) and I grow about 80 species of bamboo. The only one I grow inside is Alphonse Karr because it is marginal in this Zone. There are many runners and clumpers that will do fine in Zone 8 and keep all of their leaves during winter. If you want to check on species hardiness and characteristics, go to www.bambooweb.info

If you register at that site, you can also view member profiles, including mine (kudzu9), which lists all the species I have been successful growing in Zone 8.

That is cool and all, but what I really am interested in is what to expect should the temperature fall below the "minimum" temperature. I know it would die if exposed to that temp for a long time, but what if it dipped below it for only a night, would that still kill the plant or would it maybe just kill the canes and leaves allowing the root to sprout new ones in the spring?

The hardiness rating is generally taken to mean the temp a bamboo can survive for 24 hours without the whole plant dying. There will generally be leaf loss above that and culm death. And all of this is the real world, so it's imprecise. It depends on how windy it is, how sheltered the location is, how heavily the plant is mulched, how mature the plant is, how long the cold snap lasts, etc. That's why I didn't give you a precise answer. I'm always testing the limits. I have plants I've bought in this Zone a few miles away that have done much better where I live and others that have done worse. Use the hardiness ratings as a rough guideline and then go for it. All I can tell you is that your concerns about investing a lot of effort and losing your bamboo plants is pretty much a non-issue in Zone 8, unless you expect to grow tropical bamboo. Out of the 80+ species I've grown, I've probably failed with one or two due to cold snaps. Take a chance...it's not much of a gamble.

Thanks Kudzu9, That is what I was curious about. I will get some different varieties and we shall see what becomes of it all..

Bambusa multiplex survived here in a rare cold snap about 20 years ago.

The temps got down to 3F which is unheard of, and stayed below freezing for several days...also unheard of. The clump regrew from the ground the following Spring. It had absolutely no protection, as it is growing alongside a gravel road in the open.

I took a division several years later from the same clump. Al Karr is equally as hardy, and with some protection should do just fine. Mine has never frozen to the ground here in the 10+ years that I have had it with temps dipping down to 12F at lowest, and many nights down to 15F.

Good Luck

Kt

bumblebug-
Glad I got you what you needed; I appreciate knowing when my advice is helpful. By the way, what city are you in/near? I might be able to identify some local sources for you. Feel free to email me if you prefer.

Thanks, Kentuck, that is very useful info. I love my Alphonse Karr, and would be very sad if it died on me.It snowed here, about 4 inches worth, all of my poor plants canes were on the ground, and I was nervous about that. The next day, the snow melted and they sprung right back to normal.

I bought 2 5 gallon pots of it about 3-4 years ago. One I divided into 5 plants, the other I planted whole. They are thriving here despite soggy ground in winter, it even floods up to 1.5 feet sometimes for several days. They seem unstoppable. This fall I made 8 more 5 gallon pots from division of two of the smaller plants, as well as did some cane cuttings, double-node style. The divisions are still green, as are the cuttings so far. This was done about a month ago.

I am going to do more divisions in spring from the remaining plants, since I want to surround my 2 acre fenced area with it. I figure it will probably take 10 years to do it though..

Kudzu, I am in Central Louisiana, and I do know of several sources but my budget is tight right now, and the minimum prices I find are around $150 for a 5 gallon container..

Louisiana Nursery in Opelouses has a nice selection but you may need to call first.

Kt

bumblebug-
Those are pretty severe prices, though not unheard of. One approach you could take is to drive around and ask people who have bamboo groves if you can take a division or two. I've gotten quite a few free bamboo by asking people if I can take a division, or asking if they want some overgrown bamboo removed. I've also gotten a lot of free bamboo through trading, or inexpensively by paying for shipping from other, generous bamboo hobbyists who are willing to share. Check out the "Exchange" tab on this bamboo forum, or check out the forum on www.bambooweb.info