Bamboo World

Spectacular bright yellow culms (poles) striped with green. The lower third of the clump remains leafless, presenting a tight fairly erect clump that bursts into a cap of fine distinctly arranged leaves. Makes and excellent living screen.

The young shoots and culms are a delicate green striped pink. A beautiful smaller bamboo for a garden setting reaching its full height only when grown in dense shade.

Height: 4-5m

Planting: a hardy species. Grows in sun or shade in a wide range of drained soils. Best growth period is spring/summer.

Maintenance: Likes regular water, but fairy drought tolerant once established. Fertilise in spring & summer for optimum growth. Prune culms (poles) or new shoots at ground level to maintain desired appearance. Can be hedged to desired shape.

This magnificent very erect sooty black-culmed bamboo which retain its black colouring after harvesting, is much valued for furniture and musical instrument making in Java. The culms, sometimes with light coloured stripes, are exposed and leafless for some metres then capped with dense downward pointing leaves. The dark hair covered shoot is edible.

This attractive erect green ornamental makes a nice smaller statement in the garden or creates a great controllable hedge. Will grow taller than its specified height with no lower leaves when grown in a canopy.

Height: Typically clumps 5-6m depending on growing conditions.

Planting: Grows in sun or shade in a wide range of reasonably drained soils. Best growth period is spring/summer.

Also commonly known as Gigantochloa sp var Malay Dwarf or Bambusa heterostachya.

Maintenance: Likes regular water, but fairly drought tolerant once established. Fertilise in spring and summer. Prune culms (poles) or new shoots at ground level to maintain desired appearance.

An attractive, bushy ornamental clumping bamboo originating from Malaysia. Leaves are variegated with beautiful green and cream stripes. Makes a statement in the garden or creates a great controllable hedge or screen.

A graceful garden specimen with delicate arching poles. Young culms (poles) tinged with a white bloom. Prefers dappled sunlight or semi-shade. Will grow in full sun if kept well watered. Makes an excellent screen. Very similar to the Himalayan Weeping and Purple Jade bamboos.

This superbly erect rapid growing straight-culmed bamboo takes up less space than most smaller bamboos. With its medium sized broad-leafed dark green clean appearance it’s an ideal slightly larger suburban garden bamboo. Delicious shoots are light green and hairless except for a darker area being revealed by lower culm leaf. A white powder covers the shoots and young culms. The later vivid green culms turn gold in strong sunlight. Beautiful straight timber much used for furniture making and lighter internal structures. Large plantings exist in China and for shoot production in cooler climates but it gives a smaller crop than larger species. Used in NZ and Nth NSW for tall orchard and nursery windbreaks. A cold tolerant “must” for any collector.

A stunning garden specimen with delicate arching poles and long, dark green, glossy leaves. Culms (poles) feature striking white and purple rings around the internodes, and covered with a white bloom when young. Ideal smaller garden feature or screen, or as an elegant pot plant (outdoors in semi shade). Other common name “Khasia Bamboo”.

Has fine white stripes on many of its leaves and exotic pink striped shoots that fade with age. Usually grows 5m high with cascading culms except when grown under canopy. A strikingly beautiful plant.

Deep green culms (poles) striped with a lighter green / yellow, with starburst clusters of leaves on each twig. Forms a dense, clump relatively upright clump. Makes an excellent living screen or hedge. Native to China. A cultivar of the Oriental Hedging bamboo species. Cold tolerant.

Leafless vivid green culms (poles) with prominent darker green striations, topped with dark green leaves. Young culms covered with white powdery bloom. A spectacular, tightly clumping specimen. Makes an excellent medium height living screen or feature plant. Native to Taiwan.

This bamboo was sold in Australia for years as the similar and equally beautiful G atroviolacea. The main differences are Timor Black has a light green hairless striped shoot plus chocolate black culms whereas G atroviolacea has sooty black culms and dark hairy stripe-free shoot. One of the worlds most beautiful bamboos, its very straight erect culms turn chocolate black with age. Edible shoots. Spectacular leafless lower culms initially green support a dense profusion of long thin vertically hanging pale green leaves (a little thinner than G atroviolacea leaves). Highly recommended.

An exquisite graceful cold-tolerant bamboo with slender cascading culms with thick sprays of fine long light green leaves on multiple branch clusters. Prefers shade or cool climate, will not tolerate full sun. Dappled light preferred or afternoon shade. A stunning garden specimen, ideal for interplanting amongst taller items.

The ideal screening plant! Very popular with landscapers. Spectacular very dense straight strong thin walled almost vertical culms with long (40 to 60cm) internodes. No leaves or branches on the lower quarter followed by masses of long green pointed leaves makes this a striking bamboo. Younger dark green culms have nodding tops and turn gold in the sun when mature. Prized for its strong weaving splits and for general handcraft uses. Very cold tolerant.

This species forms a dense, fairly erect clump of closely spaced light green culms with cream/white stripes. The exposed and leafless culms break into dense fine leaves as they climb and spread outwards. A handsome landscape or hedge species.

When stressed the lower internodes become short and swollen “like a Buddha’s belly” and are valued for their furniture making and decorative uses. Dark green culms turn gold when mature. Well suited as a potted or bonsai variety. Grows well in poor soil dry areas for wind break or creek erosion.

Suitable as a bonsai variety. Makes an impenetrable hedge. Leaves are high protein fodder.

Planting: Grows in sun or shade in a wide variety of reasonably drained soils. Best growth is in summer/spring.

Maintenance: Likes regular water but fairly drought tolerant once established. Fertilise regularly in spring and summer for optimum growth. Prune culms (poles) or new shoots at ground level to maintain desired appearance. Trim lower branches/foliage to reveal decorative, bulging poles. Can be hedged to desired shapes.

A hardy, smaller bamboo with a tidy, bushy growth habit perfect for wider garden beds or pots and troughs. Dense foliage with dark green leaves. Makes an excellent privacy screen or controllable hedge.

Chinese Dwarf is extremely quick growing and can grown to 3m high within 2 growing seasons / years, or quicker if you purchase an established size. The Chinese Dwarf is low maintenance and drought tolerant once established.

Native to the lowlands of China.

Planting: Grows in sun or shade in a wide range of reasonably drained soils. Best growth period is spring/summer.

Maintenance: Water regularly for optimum growth. Fertilise in spring and summer. Can be trimmed or hedged to desired shape and height.

A dwarf variety with very tiny fernlike leaves and golden culms if exposed to full sunlight. This delicate, fairly erect solid-culmed ornamental also does well as a potted plant or a bonsai specimen. A great small garden or house plant. Can be easily hedged to any shape desired.

Frost tolerant. Chinese Goddess is also more shade tolerant than most bamboos.

Planting: Grows in sun or shade in a wide range of reasonably drained soils. Best growth period is spring/summer.

A gorgeous bamboo with brilliant lemon yellow culms (poles). Culms variegated with occasional green striping. New shoots are tinged pink.

Makes a striking garden feature, or suitable as a medium to high, 2 storey screen. Frost tolerant.

One of the most beautiful bamboos with very fine whorls of tiny, dainty leaves at the culm (pole) nodes, appearing like crowns. The slender, gracefully arching solid culms reach back to the ground to create a fluffy, soft clump. A wonderful specimen for pots, especially around a pond or water feature. Ideal for screening. Native to the mountains of South & Central America.

Height: 3-4m

Planting: Best in light shade in hot areas and full sun in cooler climates. Grows in a wide range of reasonably drained soils. Best growth period is spring/summer.

Maintenance: Likes regular water, but fairly drought tolerant once established. Fertilise in spring and summer. Prune culms (poles) or new shoots at ground level to maintain desired appearance.

A beautiful, upright species. White powdered culms (poles) have a bluish hue and mature to green in full sunlight. Culms are exposed and leafless for some meters then capped with vibrant green leaves. Suitable as a garden feature or 2-story screen. Thin walled culms with long are useful for handicrafts.

Native to China.

Other common names: White Powdery Bamboo

A large-leafed bamboo native to southern China, it is one of the smaller species of the Dendrocalamus genus. Green culms (poles) are green with a ghostly white bloom when young. More upright than the “Ghost Bamboo”. Makes an excellent garden feature.

A larger and even more beautiful giant Buddha’s Belly type bamboo. Verdant green with long narrow green leaves the large diameter culms develop a spectacular bulging form on the lower two or three metres of the culms accentuated by the absence of lower leaf growth. Harsh conditions cause more spectacular distorted foreshortened internodes.

Typically, Bambusa Ventricosa – and all of its types – grows straight or zig-zagging culms. In order to achieve the Buddha Belly characteristic of it, this plant needs to be carefully stressed for water. In fact, many people have made an art form of carefully starving their Buddha Belly bamboo for water in order to achieve supreme bellies.

Very bitter edible shoots somewhat similar in shape to B vulgaris.

A graceful, pendulous large-leafed bamboo. Culms (poles) are striped light green/green with a ghostly white bloom when young. Great garden feature to form a shady canopy.

Starburst clusters of ten or more small leaves on each twig distinguish this cultivar from its brothers. Leaf and culms mature to a golden colour when growing in full sunlight The outward-reaching form is delicately beautiful particularly after rain when the extra weight flattens the form into a sparkling cascade. The strong mostly solid culms are used when young for “cane” woven basket making. A garden piece.

Light green culms (poles) topped with fine leaves. Delicate weeping form with pendulous tops. Makes an excellent living screen, and suitable for hedging. Native to China. A cultivar of the Oriental Hedging bamboo series. Cold tolerant.