Wilson Bros Gardens LLC

Every type of plant has a low temperature threshold. The USDA Plant Hardiness Zones help gardeners and landscapers understand which plants will most likely survive the average low winter temperatures at a specific location. They also indicate how far south in the United States a specific plant will likely grow. Some bamboo species are more cold hardy or heat tolerant than others. Knowing your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone is the easiest way to determine if a specific bamboo variety will grow and be hardy in your specific location. Find your USDA Zone

There are two basic types of landscape bamboo: "running," and "clumping. " All bamboos spread via underground rhizomes (roots) that grow horizontally underground and sprout new plant shoots above ground. Running bamboos have much longer roots that spread more quickly. Clumping bamboos have much shorter roots that stay closer to their point of origin and do not spread rapidly. While clumping bamboos tend to grow more like an ornamental grass, such as Miscanthus or pampas grass, slowly expanding in size over time, the running types spread wider and can pop up shoots where you might not want them. That said, the spread of running bamboo can be contained by either destroying new shoots as they emerge in spring, or by the use of a bamboo barrier.

Thing is, with the exception of the clumping Fargesia bamboos that are more cold hardy, most of the other clumping bamboo varieties are only cold hardy to temperatures of 15 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. So keep cold hardiness in mind when selecting a bamboo variety for your screen or hedge.

 

Some bamboo varieties will grow in however much sun you can give them while others tend to prefer life on the shady side. Under the Description tab on every every bamboo plant page in WilsonBrosGardens.com you'll find the sunlight preferences for that specific bamboo variety.

Most bamboo will grow in a moist but well-drained soil. However, there are a few wetland bamboo varieties that will grow and thrive in a boggy to wet soil and also some that when established will tolerate a dry soil. 

While some bamboo varieties will grow well in pots, others don't perform well when confined to a smaller space. Under the Description tab on every every bamboo plant page in WilsonBrosGardens.com you can find out whether or not a specific variety is suitable for growing in containers.

Are you wanting a tall privacy screen or lower hedge? On every bamboo page in WilsonBrosGardens.com you will find the mature height listed for that specific variety. On varieties where we have collected average mature height ranges for specific USDA Zones you will find these listed as well.

While some bamboo varieties have dense foliage from just above the ground to the top of the plant, others tend to be more top heavy. Under the Description tab on every bamboo plant page in WilsonBrosGardens.com, under the Landscape Uses section, you can find out whether that specific bamboo variety is suitable for screens or hedges, often with notes as to foliage density.

While many bamboo varieties have green canes, some have yellow, black, red or spotted canes. Click here to see some of the most colorful bamboo varieties we offer.

Bamboo are known to be one of the fastest growing plants on earth. That said, how many plants you might need to create your bamboo privacy screen or hedge will depend on how quickly you want to plants to fill in. Rather than go into the details here, check out our article titled How Far Apart To Space Bamboo Plants For A Hedge Or Privacy Screen