I think you should wait until summer before you prune any culms. See what recovers, and what doesn't. But I don't have any bamboo, all that I know is from what I have read on here on the bamboo forum.

My ground cover bamboo (I don't know the name of the cultivar) has green left on it, though there was more dieback this year than normal; I think it will be fine. Otherwise, I have clumping bamboos - Fargesia cultivars - that aren't so happy. They showed green for most of the winter, but now look pretty bad. I am still hopeful that they might recover, though, at least push up some new culms.

This winter was not unusually cold but was pretty dry; I'm thinking I must not have given them enough supplementary water. :-(

Holly

Holly, funny you mention watering, because I posted on the Bamboo Forum about the same issue (and how we religiously watered overwinter) and I got a response that basically, the plant goes dormant to the point that watering doesn't matter!

It seems the main advice given us last year with our new bamboo was to water regularly through the winter.

Good news though - both our plants have new culms coming up as of last week. Took me a while to notice, as they're purplish in color, but they're quite tall at maybe 6-8". Hopefully yours will do the same. :)

Pumpkin

Does anyone know of a nursery that carries bamboo right now? I've been checking with O'Tooles, but they keep saying "in another couple of weeks' everytime I ask. I think the Yellow Groove is one of the more hardy varieties for Zone 5, and the like.

Marj

Pumpkin - I'll have to take a closer look to see if things are looking better now.

Marj - I noticed some bamboo at Paulino Gardens the other day but didn't see what kind it was; I think it was a Fargesia cultivar though. Fargesia's are definitely cold hardy here but they only grow about 6-8' tall (perfect for my needs) unlike the "towering" Yellow Groove.

It is probably a bit early for local nurseries to have their bamboos out. Timberline usually carries them as well but I haven't been there lately.

Holly

Thanks Holly. I finally sent O'Tooles an email asking them about the yellow groove that they said they carry. The emailed back and said it was on a truck to be delivered this weekend. So I'll give them a call before I run over and see if it's out on the shelves yet.

I think the "towering" will work for us, but may check on the other variety at Paulinos as well.

Marj

Well I suppose that "towering" is relative. :-D They can get up to 45' tall, but probably not here in Colorado. I'm glad that O'Tooles will finally have the plant for you.

Yellow Groove is a beautiful bamboo, but the main reason I don't want to give it a try is that it is a running bamboo and can become invasive (again, maybe not here, but I don't want to find out!) I have read that it can start up a new culm 20 ft away from the main plant, and I don't want to have to dig deep enough into our clay soil to set up a bamboo barrier to prevent it from invading a neighbor's yard. (Even my small running ground cover bamboo that I mentioned earlier in this thread actually started up a new group of culms about four or five feet away from the original plant.)

As much as I would like to have a bamboo forest like the one shown in the link below, I will stick to my well-behaved clumping bamboo, such as the Fargesia. :-)

Holly

Here is a link that might be useful: Bamboo Forest

So I called O'Tooles again, and they said they have it, but it's still on the truck - so they couldn't yet give me the price or the size. So I called Paulino's, and they have two varieties - black and yellow groove. Yikes! They are pricey!! The black is $149 for a 5 gallon 6-7' tall, and the yellow groove is $89 for a 5 gallon 3' tall. Geez, I don't know if I can spring for that!

Anyone know of another nursery in the Denver area that carries bamboo for a cheaper price, even if it's smaller? Or does anyone on the list want to share some sprouts of their's (if this is possible for propagation)?

Marj

You would think that O'tooles would have a price list and would know what size plants they ordered!

I don't imagine they are cheaper, but Echter's might have their bamboo in by now and, as I mentioned previously, Timberline also normally has bamboo for sale - again, no idea as to price.

There are, of course, various mail order nurseries that you can go through to purchase bamboo; Bamboo Gardens in Oregon, for example, has 1 gal Yellow Groove for $20 and the shipping cost is reasonable...

Holly

I'm in Aurora Colorado in Zone 6 if I'm lucky.

I've had Yellow Groove going for about 5 years. This year I cut it down to the ground and it grew back in a very nice dark green color in about a month and a half. It is averaging about 7 feet but I want at least 10 to 12 and I'd be happy. I was able to split off some rhizome last year and they are growing well this year.

I've attached a picture with the link below =)

I was not patient enough to wait!

Concerning the Black Bamboo I have heard it will not get black because of the kill. I did plant some this year from root and planted it near the house next to the dryer exhaust in hopes that I can get it to do well.

I am also testing Phyllostachys rubromarginata 'Rubro' but it also is not as cold tolerant so I am not expecting it to go as well.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Nice looking plant, wtfruon! How big around do the canes get?

Marj