Fast Growing Clumping Bamboo
Clumping bamboo is known for growing fast.
In fact, in zones 8 and above, bamboo is the world’s fastest-growing plant.
Some varieties can grow up to two inches per hour in optimal weather!
Whether you’re looking for a beautiful garden specimen or an evergreen privacy hedge, Palmco can help you find the perfect variety.
Palmco has been proudly growing the highest quality selection of field grown?Florida Fancy (FF) palms for 30 years and added exquisite varieties of clumping bamboo to our product line in 2011.
We offer 14 varieties of tropical and subtropical clumping bamboo and are one of the largest palm and bamboo plantations in North America with over 600 acres in production.
Unlike running bamboo, which has a reputation for spreading quickly to take over a landscape, our clumping bamboos don’t need containment when planted in the ground and won’t escape from containers. They naturally grow upwards and outward from the center and, because of their slow spread rate, grow within a fairly tight, contained circle.
When provided with optimal growing conditions, clumping bamboos will grow fast and reach their mature height in as little as 4 years.
Species like Oldhamii Bamboo, for example, can grow 2 to 3 feet each day during the summer growing season!
Running bamboos, in contrast, grow outward faster than they grow upward.
They typically spend the first few years establishing a root system, and you may not see much above-ground growth until the plant has been established for 3 or 4 years.
Palmco’s Fastest Growing Clumpers
Black Asper (Dendrocalamus asper ‘Hitam’)
This impressive giant from Indonesia can quickly reach skyscraper heights of 70 to 100 feet.
It boasts the fastest growth rate of all the big bamboos and produces 6” to 10” diameter brown/black culms covered with a soft and velvety brownish fur. Suitable for Zones 9B and above, Black Asper loves warmth and humidity but can withstand cold down to about 27°F. It’s highly valued for its timber and produces sweet edible bamboo shoots. If you have lots of space and need a very tall bamboo, Black Asper is a great choice.
Oldhamii Bamboo (Bambusa oldhamii)
This popular variety is sometimes called Giant Timber Bamboo, but it’s not a giant or a timber bamboo, although it does grow quickly to about 55 feet tall with large 4” to 5” diameter culms.
You may also hear it called Oldham’s Bamboo.
When grown in the shade, new culms are a dark green with silver powder. In sunny conditions, culms will have more of an orange hue. One of the straightest growing bamboo species, Oldhamii Bamboo has a fairly open growth pattern with relatively short branches. It makes a stunning hedge, screen or wind barrier.
It’s tolerant of a variety of climates and can handle frost to 24°F and short wet and dry spells. The large canes make lovely “bamboo sounds” when swaying in the wind.
Seabreeze (Bambusa malingensis)
This variety is a Palmco customer favorite. Native to Southern China, it’s one of the most prolific species of clumping bamboo, quickly reaching heights of 35 to 40 feet to form a beautiful screen.
The 2 ½” diameter canes have a distinctive bluish-white blush in each section.
When mature, it forms a graceful umbrella-shaped arch and is ideal for hedges and windbreaks. Seabreeze Bamboo is salt-tolerant, drought-tolerant, and an excellent performer in Florida’s planting zones of 9a and up, especially those exposed to coastal winds.
The canes also make those recognizable creaking “bamboo sounds” in the breeze. Seabreeze is a very hardy clumping bamboo that can withstand temperatures down to 20°F.
Tour our farm to discover Palmco’s other varieties of wholesale clumping bamboo that are fast growing and will enhance your next residential or commercial landscaping project.
Call us at (239) 283-1329 or (855) GOPALMCO to find out what sets us apart from other nurseries.