Types of bamboo you can buy for your garden

Growing bamboo in your garden can give it a truly exotic and foreign look – you’ll feel like you’re in a serene far away land. In our last articles, we showed you how to grow and control bamboo. But knowing what types of bamboo to look for is also important for achieving a personalized garden design that matches your style.

Borinda bamboo: this type of bamboo grows about 15 feet high in the shade. It can survive cold temperatures and can be planted alongside evergreen trees, which makes them a great variety for Vancouverites. This is a clumping type of bamboo. Pandas eat this type of bamboo, but don’t worry, you’ll be safe from the furry bears here in North America!

When picking out Borinda bamboo, look for:

• Borinda Boliana for a really high and darker, redder look.
• Borinda angustissima for narrow leaves
• Borinda contracta for a blue-gray look
• Borinda macclureana for larger leaves and a purple look
• Borinda utilis for a curvy look in higher altitudes with lots of sun

Chusquea bamboo: here is a type of bamboo that is branchy and grows mainly in America. One type of Chusquea to look for:

• Chusquea gigantean for a slow-growing clumping bamboo that looks like a running bamboo

Chimonobambusa bamboo: These are smaller-sized bamboo plants that grow to be about 6 feet high. They need good humidity and actually start their growth cycles in the colder weather, around fall or winter in North America. This is a running type of bamboo.

Types of Chimonobambusa to look for:

• Chimonobambusa marmoreal for a really dark look with thick leaves.
• Chimonobambusa marmoreal for a colourful look with a mix of red and yellow, depending on lighting conditions.

Fargesia bamboo: This is a perfect type of bamboo for growing in Canada because it can stand much colder temperatures (just below -20C, if not more). These are a valuable type of bamboo because of their slow growth (which takes patience to cultivate, or shall we say, cultivates patience?) and also because they are quite full and strong despite their being a clumping type of bamboo. They also make nice shapes, giving character to a garden.

Here are types of the exciting Fargesia to look for:

• Fargesia denudata for a rare plant that looks delicate and slim and branches out into arches.
• Fargesia dracocephala for a thick “weeping” look that can grow a wall or stakes.
• Fargesia murielae for an “umbrella” look with hints of yellow.
• Fargesia nitida for a “fountain” look with a darker purple/blue colour.
• Fargesia robusta for a tall standing straight look that is sort of yellow.
• Fargesia rufa for an easy growing, orange-like plant.
• Fargesia scabrida for a straight standing plant that changes colours like the rainbow – from orange to blue, purple and green!

While some bamboo needs warmer climates to grow healthily, the types of bamboo mentioned here can actually survive in Canada, and you can help them along by moving them inside during the winter.  Of course, there are a lot more to name, but we can’t exhaust the vastness of bamboo types all in one article!

Enjoy your exotic bamboo garden!