Cold Hardy Bamboo

Bamboo is famous for being a tropical plant in the jungles of China and Asian countries. You may have also heard Panda's eat Bamboo in Tropical China. While yes, these are true, there are other Bamboo plants that are not tropical and are more subtropical or warm temperate hardy plants. These grow in the mountains of China where it is still very warm in the summer, but winter's are much colder. These plants have adapted to temps below freezing, and even below zero. In this post I will only share the most cold hardy kinds. These being hardy to between -10 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit. They are broadleaf evergreen plants. While many will call them trees, they are actually grass. I won't go into the science on trees vs grass, but just know they are not trees. There are many articles online that explain the difference. These plants add a great tropical vibe to the landscape. Tall green plants outside in the brutal cold and snow makes you feel like you are in a warmer place.

The two most cold hardy genera of Bamboo are Fargesia and Phyllostachys.

Some popular species in these genera include Fargesia nitida, Fargesia sp. 'Rufa', Fargesia sp. 'Rufa' Green Panda, Phyllostachys nuda, Phyllostachys bissetii, Phyllostachys aureosulcata, Phyllostachys atrovaginata 'Incense Bamboo' just to name some of my favorites.

When temps are below zero, winds may burn the foliage. The cold wind dries the leaves, and they die. When it is -10 degrees and there is little to no wind the plants will be unharmed, but when there is dangerous wind that may cause severe winter burn on the foliage. Since these plants are very cold hardy, they usually send up new shoots in the Spring and will regrow rapidly the next summer. If you plant gets burned, wait until Spring to look for new growth at the base before considering removing your Bamboo plants.

I took this picture of a grove of Bamboo probably 20' or 30' or so tall in Bloomington, IN. Bloomington, IN is in USDA Zone 6a. Coldest average temperature is -5 to -10 degrees Fahrenheit. I am unaware of what genus or species it is, but is definitely one of the two genera I mentioned above. This photo was taken in January, 2019. The weather is forecasted to be below zero next week, I expect at least some winter burn to the foliage, but will likely re-shoot next Spring if there is any severe winter damage. I can see some dead stalks, most likely from winter damage from last year, or a few years back. The owner just didn't cut it down. At the time of taking these photos there hasn't been temps cold enough to cause winter damage. Coldest temp so far was right around zero with minimal wind. As I said earlier I expect cold the cold and strong winds next week to cause some or severe winter burn. They have very aggressive root systems, and almost always recover. I suspect in years past this grove may have completely died off to the ground, especially after the 2014 winter which was historically cold. Lows down to near -20 with strong winds. It fully recovered and spread quickly.

LINKS to learn more on cold hardy Bamboo:
http://www.bamboogarden.com/cold%20hardy%20bamboo.html

https://www.thespruce.com/growing-bamboos-in-cold-climates-2132863