Bambusa glaucescens multiplex Alphonse Karr - Hedge Bamboo

Bambusa 'Alphonse Karr' is one of the most ornamental varieties of Bambusa multiplex. This bamboo compensates for its slightly tender nature by being highly suitable for pot cultivation, making it a very beautiful plant for decorating our interiors and verandas. Of medium size and non-invasive, it develops thin and very straight canes that change from pink to bright yellow-orange, with fine dark green stripes along their length, and has a graceful spreading habit. In the ground and under favourable climates, this Bambusa allows for the creation of spectacular, exotic-inspired landscapes. 

Bambusa glaucescens or multiplex is a plant belonging to the poaceae family, a type of grass with woody stems that grows from a non-invasive rhizomatous rootstock, known as a clumping bamboo. In this type of bamboo, the very short internode rhizomes develop slowly at the periphery of the rootstock, which gradually expands, but they also develop towards the centre, which remains dense without becoming bare. This bamboo is native to Southeast Asia, specifically certain regions of China, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Indochina. It can withstand short frosts of around -7°C (19.4°F) in sheltered locations and well-drained soil.

The Bambusa 'Alphonse Karr' was named in honour of the French botanist and writer of the same name. The plant forms a bushy clump, very dense and compact at the base, slightly spreading and trailing upwards. The young shoots, or canes, turn pink-orange, even mauve in the sun. They emerge from the ground in summer, reach maturity in autumn, and develop leafy branches in spring. Depending on the growing conditions, the plant will reach 2 to 4m (6.5ft to 13ft) in height, up to 8m (26ft) in optimal conditions. Eventually, the plant will spread over more than 3m (10ft) on the ground. The canes are upright, slender, 1 to 3cm (0.4 to 1.2in) in diameter, covered with brown hairs and a fine powdery bloom that gives them a mauve appearance. Over the months, they take on a more salmon-orange colour and a shiny finish. The sheaths that envelop the young shoots are brown and deciduous. The foliage is evergreen and mainly distributed towards the top of the canes. The leaves are abundant, small, and narrow, lanceolate and tapering at the tip, a light green-blue on the upper side and a grey-silver on the underside.

The Bambusa multiplex 'Alphonse Karr' is remarkably colourful, with dense canes and foliage, as exotic as it is elegant and perfect for creating a small hedge or a beautiful green screen in mild climates. It will also have a great effect as a standalone clump or integrated into an autumn colour shrub bed. When grown in a pot, Bambusa multiplex is the ideal choice to decorate a veranda or a large patio. Its development will then depend on the size of the pot and the care it receives. To enhance and animate its foliage in summer, it can be associated with a viticella-type clematis with red flowers ('Madame Julia Correvon', purpurea 'Plena Elegans', 'Avant Garde'), whose small foliage will blend naturally with the bamboo's vegetation. Tall grasses, giant cannas, Aster carolinianus, and tall dahlias (Dahlia imperialis) will also make good companions for this magnificent bamboo.