I need 2 recommendations please: 1) the best clumping bamboo for full shade? I want it to grow fairly quickly and be architecturally interesting. 2) fastest speading and growing screen or hedge bamboo to a max height of 20-25 feet that will grow well in partial shade yet tolerate some full sun? Thanks and best regards to all.
Hi, I spent quite a bit of time researching fast spreading (running type) bamboos that will grow to 25-25 ft in my area (Victoria BC), and I ended up buying a mix of Phyllostachhys Aureosulcata Aureocaulis and Phyllostachys aureosulcata spectabilis. The former has bright yellow canes, the latter yellow canes with a green grove and reddish nodes. I think they'll look good intermixed. There are other types of Phyllostachys (Bissettii, Aurea Holochrysa, Angusta, etc..) you might want to consider; the only non-Phyllostachys I considered was Semiarundinaria Fastuosa. This has the straightest culms of any bamboo, which is good if you are using it as a hedge, but the leaves are quite large, which makes it somewhat less delicate looking than other types of bamboo. My suggestion is to go to a nursery and actually take a look at the plants -- they can look quite different in real life as they do on Google pictures! I bought my plants from a nursery on Salt Spring Island which has an amazing selection, and a very helpful owner forthcoming with information! Good luck! Laura
Hibanobambusa tranquillans 'shiroshima' grows to 15' (lower than you mention, but maybe enough) and makes a very dense hedge (variegated leaves). It suits the conditions you describe for #2 above, and spreads faster than any bamboo I've dealt with. Definitely one to confine to the area you want it to fill; I had one shoot this year that emerged 10' from the main clump, having grown up through and out the top of a fir stump.
