Cold Hardy Clumping Bamboo
Established in 1984 on Pine Island, Florida, Palmco has over 600 acres of palm trees and bamboos, ranging from the exotic and rare to the most plentiful and widely used.
Our 16 beautiful varieties of clumping bamboo range from dwarf to mid-sized to giant bamboos.
Every plant is nurtured to produce only the healthiest, strongest specimens. Clumpers make excellent, fast-growing, evergreen hedges and spectacular ornamental specimens.
In contrast to running bamboos which spend their first few years of growth establishing a root system, clumping varieties grow quickly and may reach full height in four to six years, depending on the growing conditions.
It’s crucial, however, to choose a variety that will grow in your climate.
At Palmco, we continuously research and acquire new clumping species to evaluate them for their suitability to our Southwest Florida subtropical climate.
The most cold-hardy of the clumpers are the Bambusa multiplex and Bambusa textilis varieties. They will generally remain evergreen to around 12° to 15°F, and our Florida temperatures rarely drop below this.
Here are several clumpers that are ideal for hardiness zones 8 and above:
Alphonse Karr Bamboo
Bambusa multiplex is one of the best screen or hedge bamboos, Alphonse Karr is a dense Chinese bamboo that grows to 20 to 25 feet with 1- inch diameter culms. The plant has bright yellow culms and random green stripes, and it gives a golden glow to any garden. New shoots and culms often have a pinkish hue.
Growing it in light shade will cause the branches to begin higher on the culms, enabling you to see its striking colors. The variety has low water requirements and is extremely cold-hardy to 12°F once established.
Golden Goddess
Bambusa multiplex golden goddess is a popular choice for shorter hedges and for containers on the patio or around the pool. The semi-dwarf bamboo also makes a beautiful (but not more than 6 to 12 foot) privacy hedge when planted four to eight feet apart. It has very small, delicate leaves and densely packed 1/4-inch canes that become golden with age and sun exposure.
Graceful Bamboo
Bambusa textilis gracilis is a Chinese variety, also known as Slender Weavers, the live up to their name by being the most graceful and luxuriant of all bamboos. Mature plants will be branchless on the lower third of the culms, so you can see the attractive 1-inch diameter canes without having to prune the plant. Graceful Bamboos have an upright growth pattern and are very well-behaved.
All textilis varieties form tight erect clumps and don’t weep outwards at the top. They are ideal for screens in a narrow space or where a strong vertical look is desired.
New plantings will be less cold-hardy and may suffer moderate leaf damage at the coldest temperatures.
However, even if they lose all or most of their foliage (such as during a frost), new foliage and shoots will grow during the next growing season.
Well-established bamboo can often survive lower temperatures for short periods.
If you are designing a landscape for a new project or adding a touch of the tropics to an existing landscape, try one of Palmco’s spectacular varieties of cold hardy clumping bamboo.
Call us today at (239) 283-1329 to find out why we have earned a reputation for the strongest, healthiest plants and the best customer service.
