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Bamboos

Phyllostachys dulcis

A tall, hardy, slow-spreading evergreen bamboo to a height of 6m or more, forming wide, glossy green canes of around 7cm in diameter. Ideal for a slow-growing screening plant, creating a bamboo grove or using as a single architectural specimen. The shoots are edible and can be harvested for culinary purposes

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Ultimate height

4–8 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

2.5–4 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Poaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Bushy, Clump forming, Columnar upright, Spreading branched
Genus: Phyllostachys are attractive, large, evergreen bamboos with running rhizomes, although in cool temperate climates may initially behave like clump-forming genera. Canes grooved on alternate sides between the nodes, with usually two leafy branches at each node
Name status: Correct
Plant range: China

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil, in full sun or partial shade. Protect from cold drying winds. In a container grow in a peat-free, loam-based potting compost and feed with a balanced liquid fertiliser monthly during the growing season. May remain clump-forming in poor or dry soils but has the potential to become a nuisance in warm, moist or favourable conditions; see bamboo control and bamboo cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by division in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Architectural
Cottage and informal garden
Hedging and screens

Pruning

Remove weak, dead, damaged or spindly stems in spring and thin to show off stems to best effect. Cut out any flowering shoots promptly to discourage more from forming

Pests

May be susceptible to damage from slugs on new growth

Diseases

Generally disease-free

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