A tall clumping bamboo with thick green canes and a dense, leafy head. It grows quickly into a living screen and brings an Asian or tropical mood to a garden. Because it clumps rather than runs, it stays where it is planted.
Living with it in the Phoenix Valley
Watering
Follow the shrub schedule in our Landscape Care guide, toward the generous end. It needs steady moisture, especially in summer, and shows stress quickly with curled or browning leaves. Water most heavily while it establishes.
Pruning
Cut old, dead or spent canes at the base to keep the clump clean and open. Strip lower leaves if you want to show off the canes.
Cold
Hard freezes in the low 20s can burn leaves. Canes usually recover with spring growth.
Feeding
A spring feeding before new shoots appear supports fast growth.
How our designers use it
Tall privacy screen
It blocks second-story views quickly where there is room for its height and width.
Asian and tropical gardens
We use it with lady palms, mondo grass and stone for a calm, layered look.
Vertical accent
A single clump in a large planter or courtyard bed reads as living architecture.
Good to know
Around the pool
It drops leaves steadily through the year. We keep it back from the water and away from skimmers.
Size
It grows much taller than most homeowners expect. Give it room, and keep it clear of roof eaves and power lines.
