Pseudosasa Species, Arrow Bamboo

****DO NOT PLANT! HIGHLY INVASIVE AND DESTRUCTIVE OF NATIVE HABITAT. **** Pseudosasa japonica is an aggressive, running bamboo. Here in t...Read Morehe mid-Atlantic (DC area), it takes over entire yards and forests, converting habitats into monocultures. Nothing can grow under most bamboos, including this destructive species. Nothing eats it. Say bye-bye to any diversity in habitats wherever this plant grows.

I just spent $1,300 having a patch of this dug up and root barriers installed to prevent my neighbors patch of bamboo from taking over my yard. It took 2 workers 16 hours to remove a mere 180 square feet of this stuff and install a root barrier 24" deep. It's terrible, terrible, terrible and back breaking to remove. I will now need to spend the next several years removing the tops of any bamboo that's left to deplete and eventually kill the rhizomes left in the ground. Manual removal is incredibly intensive and difficult, needing saws. Single clusters of this bamboo around 2 feet in diameter weigh 100 pounds (I am not kidding). Runners will extend up to 8 feet or more from a central plant and go everywhere.

There are so many better choices if you need a screening plant, especially in zone 7 and warmer where there are good evergreen choices (e.g., hollies, magnolias, cherry laurels).

Be kind to your neighbors and the native habitats around you and don't plant this. And if it's in your yard -- get rid of it before it gets rid of your yard and many of the creatures living in it. And get rid of it to be nice to your neighbors.

And, oh, yes, did I mention that this grows rampantly even in shade?

If you really, really want bamboo, be nice and choose a clumping species.

I've had this plant in the ground for about 4 years here in zone 6b, and it has survived and even spread out a bit, but during the winter...Read More it usually loses a fair bit of top growth due to a combination of cold temperatures and ravenous rabbits. I have, however, seen HUGE, healthy stands of this plant at the Pittsburgh zoo, so I'm not sure if they started with bigger/better specimens than I did (I dug mine up from a place in Annapolis, MD), or they have a favorable enough microclimate to compensate for the usual severely cold winters in Pittsburgh, or a combination of the two.

Zone 9 coastal otago nz

This is an incredibly elegant bamboo with long, emerald green pendant leaves and slim culms, ultim...Read Moreate height seeming to depend very much on location. It tolerates high winds, almost complete shade (fabulous under large trees) and in my conditions (heavy clay, relatively mild winters, medium rainfall, no ground freezes) it is spreading only slowly. Rhizomes are heading outward at about a hand's distance per yea; it's by no means going crazy. I have it contained in a raised, dedicated bed.

However, it has a reputation as a 'runner' under the right conditions so bear that in mind. Plant it, watch it like a hawk and see if it's inclined to put out tentacles. A lot of bamboo species with bad reputations might behave well according to your unique situation so don't write this one off, it's super-beautiful and provides a lot of exotic atmosphere. In nontropical zones, I've never found running species very difficult to deal with anyway; a sharp spade is usually enough control in a regularly tended garden.
It's unfussiness is a bonus- it doesn't lean toward light like many shaded bamboos tend to do.

I give it no attention aside from some dilute manure to promote attractive foliage, but if it wasn't planted in a moist area, I would water it once a week during dry summers just to keep it looking pretty. Many skanky-looking bamboos are just underwatered.

Not much else to say, other than it's a great all round species, just watch the suckering if you don't have much room. Happy in containers.