6 running bamboos

Phyllostachys atrovaginata 'Green Perfume': a running bamboo for wet areas

Magnificent medium-sized bamboo native to eastern China, Phyllostachys atrovaginata ‘Green Perfume’ is nicknamed “Incense Bamboo” due to its young shoots that emit an incense scent when rubbed. Another uncommon characteristic is that its light green culms turn grey at ripeness.

Phyllostachys atrovaginata ‘Green Perfume’

The incense bamboo has an upright habit and thick canes, reaching a height of 5 to 8 m. It is used as a backdrop in borders or to form a dense bamboo hedge. However, it is primarily a variety well suited to wet to waterlogged areas. It thrives in marshy zones or near bodies of water.

Sun, partial shade, shade, Phyllostachys atrovaginata ‘Green Perfume’ is not demanding regarding its exposure. Hardy down to -20°C, it enjoys rich and, as we have seen, cool to very moist soils. It is also a running bamboo that requires the installation of a rhizome barrier.

Phyllostachys viridis 'Sulphurea': a giant, running bamboo for warm climates

Magnificent giant bamboo of warm climates, Phyllostachys viridis ‘Sulphurea’ can reach great heights under good growing conditions. It has lush light green foliage, as well as powerful, rough and sinuate culms, changing from tender green to sulphur yellow over time.

Phyllostachys viridis ‘Sulphurea’

Capable of reaching up to 15 m in height, it is grown in isolated clumps or in groves to form an impenetrable windbreak. Note that this giant bamboo also thrives very well in pots or containers.

Phyllostachys viridis ‘Sulphurea’ is a running bamboo with sensitive rhizomes to excess water. However, it is one of the few varieties capable of adapting to poor, clayey and impoverished soils. Although it is cold-resistant down to -18°C, the more heat it receives, the faster it grows.

Pleioblastus argenteostriatus f. pumilus: a very running, low-maintenance dwarf bamboo

Pleioblastus pumilus is a small, stout bamboo grown for its beautiful very dense, evergreen, and soft green foliage, as well as its flexible and slightly trailing habit. Upright and bushy, it can reach a maximum height of 80 cm.

Pleioblastus argenteostriatus f. pumilus

This dwarf bamboo tolerates pruning very well, making it a perfect choice for container cultivation. It is also well suited for slopes, border plantings, or even low hedges.

Pleioblastus argenteostriatus f. pumilus is also as undemanding as it is hardy and vigorous. It thrives in all situations, although full sun and cool, deep soils are most favourable. Fast-growing, it is a very running bamboo, with each rootstock capable of colonising up to 1.50 m of soil.

Semiarundinaria fastuosa Viridis: a non-running bamboo ideal for tall hedges

The Semiarundinaria fastuosa ‘Viridis’ is a majestic Japanese bamboo extremely decorative due to its compact columnar habit, dark green upright cylindrical culms, and its beautiful dense and supple foliage with large glossy lanceolate leaves.

Semiarundinaria fastuosa ‘Viridis’

This bamboo can reach up to 6 m in height, forming columns 2 m wide. Characteristics that make it the perfect bamboo for creating tall privacy and windbreak hedges.

Easy to cultivate, vigorous and wind-resistant, this Japanese bamboo is also hardy down to -22°C. It is also not very demanding regarding soil quality, although it does not like excess lime and water. Ideally, plant it in cool, deep soil rich in humus, in a sunny or partially shaded location. Semiarundinaria fastuosa ‘Viridis’ also has the particularity of being non-running.

Phyllostachys vivax Aureocaulis: a very spectacular running giant bamboo

Phyllostachys vivax ‘Aureocaulis’ is one of the most widely cultivated giant bamboos in Europe. Very spectacular, it is valued for its wide culms (8 to 10 cm in diameter) of ochre yellow colour, and for its dark green, feathery, evergreen foliage.

Phyllostachys vivax ‘Aureocaulis’

With its upright habit reaching up to 15 m in height and its leafy, trailing branching, this giant bamboo is used to create remarkable hedges, as well as to form true bamboo forests.

Phyllostachys vivax ‘Aureocaulis’ particularly enjoys fresh soils and sunny, sheltered positions from strong winds. Particularly vigorous and very cold-resistant, it is a bamboo with a very running stump and rapid growth, even when grown in a cold climate.

Pseudosasa japonica Tsutsumiana: a mildly running bamboo that is highly decorative

Medium-sized bamboo, Pseudosasa japonica ‘Tsutsumiana’ proves to be extremely decorative with its straight canes and olive green nodes shaped like shallot bulbs. It offers particularly a very dense clump habit and dark, glossy, and opulent foliage.

Pseudosasa japonica ‘Tsutsumiana’

This bamboo is very evergreen and medium-sized (up to 4 m in height) and is perfect for creating a free or trimmed hedge, but also for being grown as a solitary clump in the garden. It can also be grown in a pot on a terrace or balcony.

Easy to grow in any type of soil and under most climates in the hexagon, Pseudosasa japonica ‘Tsutsumiana’ is however sensitive to the scorching rays of the sun. It therefore prefers semi-shaded or even shaded exposures. It is worth noting that this bamboo is a slow-growing, low-spreading variety.

For further reading

• Discover all of Virginie’s tips to properly choose your bamboos based on the intended growing method.
• Also find all our running bamboo varieties available in the Promesse de Fleurs online shop.