Phyllostachys aurea

Description

Phyllostachys aurea, the Golden Bamboo or Fishing Pole Bamboo is perhaps the most popular bamboo planted in the U.K and for good reason. It has sturdy upright olive green, maturing to golden yellow canes or culms as we call them reaching between 3.5-5m high clothed in delicate pale green leaves. Although Phyllostachys aurea belongs to the family of bamboo that can grow large and spread easily, it tends to behave a pretty well in the U.K climate rarely spreading far. The golden bamboo is also easy to distinguish from other bamboos by the ornamental crowded nodes at the base of the canes, most bamboo have equidistant spacing of the nodes along the culms. For the anglers out there this is why it is sometimes called the fishing pole bamboo as the crowded nodes allow the culms to be stronger at resisting lateral compression! I’ve grown Phyllostachys aurea for many years, it was one of the first big bamboos available here, and it has proven to be very hardy and versatile reponding well to pruning. As such it is ideal for hedge planting and can be clipped into formal shapes very successfully. Whilst on holiday in France and saw it clipped into large balls in a public garden to great effect. One of the most reliable easy to grow bamboos and a popular alternative to the Black Bamboo. It is best suited to a sunny position in good rich soil. RHS Award of Garden Merit. We recommend using: Bamboo Root Barrier for this bamboo as a precaution or to encourage it to grow in a shape or direction.

• Eventual Size:Up to 5 metres, but can be pruned.
• Position:Sun to part shade; out of cold, drying winds - especially coastal winds.
• Foliage:Evergreen.
• Habit:Columnar/Upright/Clump-Forming/Well behaved slightly spreading.
• Soil:All soils, but avoid waterlogged areas; very dry soils will need extra watering.
• Cane/Culm Colour:Dark green canes that mature to a golden yellow.
• Hardiness:H5 - Hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
• Uses:Screening Bamboo, Hedging Bamboo