Clumping Bamboo Types

At Palmco, we specialize in types of clumping bamboo that flourish in hot, southern climates but are cold hardy to about 15-20°F, primarily those of the genus Bambusa and Dendrocalamus.

Bamboo is a beautiful ornamental plant that can add unique texture and year-round evergreen appeal to any landscape.

With over 600 acres in production on Pine Island, Florida, Palmco is one of the largest palm and bamboo plantations in North America.

You’ll find everything from the most prolific species of clumping bamboo – Seabreeze – to the variety that quickly produces the largest diameter culms (3” to 4”) – Oldhamii.

Overall, we grow 14 wonderful varieties of non-invasive clumping bamboo that are well-suited to the Florida climate.

What is Clumping Bamboo?

Clumping bamboo has a pachymorph rhizome system with short, thick roots that grow in a close circular clump, expanding very slowly by only a few inches per year. In comparison, running bamboo has runners that can spread underground 20 feet or more from the mother plant.

Clumping bamboo grows like any shrub.

New culms (canes) grow outward from the center, near the mother culm, and grow taller and larger in diameter every year. Clumping bamboo is NOT invasive and is easy to control and maintain.

They are attractive plants in any landscape; however, most are not cold-hardy, so they can be difficult to grow outside of USDA Zones 8 to 10.

If you’ve hesitated about using bamboo in your landscape for fear that it will run rampant and be impossible to control, consider non-invasive clumping bamboo varieties.

They are ideal as specimens and make great hedges and screening plants.

Popular Varieties of Clumping Bamboo for Zones 8B-10

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