Phyllostachys bissetii | Cold Hardy Bamboo Screening

One of the Toughest of the Phyllostachys! Not as tough as Arundinaria gigantea 'Macon', but darn tough.

[@Haselius00]

I really appreciate your information! I own a home in the Twin Cities, which was reclassified as Zone 5 by the USDA last year due to climate change and the metropolitan Heat Island effect. I have always loved bamboo and am going to experiment with Bissetii. I have an area sheltered from northern and western winds that also has full sun. I'm hoping that heavy mulching for the winter will increase the chance that it survives. I'd also like to try Arundinaria gigantea ‘Macon’ but it is hard to come by.

[@CountryWhatnotGardens]

I don't put much trust in the zone reclassifications. I was upgraded from 5b to 6a. Bissetii still at least wind burned here this winter and at most top killed. It's yet to be determined. I think 'Macon' would stand the best chance in your region. I grow and sell both bissetii and 'Macon' here at the nursery. Thank you for watching! :)

[@CountryWhatnotGardens]

P. S. Phyllostachys atrovaginata performed the best of its genus here coming in second only to A. g. 'Macon'.

[@Haselius00]

@yWhatnotGardens Oh, I agree about the Zone classifications, David. That said, it's really been weird that the Twin Cities have gotten so warm in the winter. And of course that's relative because a mild winter in Minneapolis is considered a brutal one in most of the country :). But the warming trend is real and seems to be accelerating. My idea to try a bamboo grove in this climate is mostly due to curiosity. If it fails, that's OK. But I want to express my gratitude that there is someone like you who is interested in cold-climate bamboo and shares their experience freely here on You Tube. Many thanks!

[@CountryWhatnotGardens]

I enjoy sharing info about the bamboo and other plants in the garden. I'm glad you enjoy watching. You're welcome to visit the nursery if you're ever in the area. I'm open by appointment. Thank you for watching! :)

[@meetarthur9427]

thank you for your initiative and reports, very informative 🙏

[@CountryWhatnotGardens]

I'm happy you like the videos. Thank you for watching!

[@Plantplague]

I have been watching a lot of your videos and I would like to try this bamboo. I live in North Platte, Nebraska. Do you think this variety would survive here in Nebraska? I really want that bamboo look, we are zone 5b.

[@CountryWhatnotGardens]

I think P. parvifolia or P. atrovaginata might do better. They have been outperforming both P. bissetii and P. nuda for the past few winters since they have gotten more settled in. The key isn't so much protecting them from cold as it is protecting them from wind. The wind is what does more winter damage. If you have a good evergreen tree windbreak for the bamboo that would help a lot. Thank you for watching! :)

[@Plantplague]

@@CountryWhatnotGardensthis is so helpful. Thank you!

[@rickandmariaolson2597]

Just found your channel. Lots of info(and I subscribed to learn more). I'm looking at Bamboo , specifically Bisettii, as winter greens for my sheep. I'm in South Eastern BC, and our zone went from 6b to 7a in 2023. It can hit -25c(-17f) . Do you have other suggestions (running and clumping) that I could plant? Invasiveness isn't a concern, as I also raise pigs, and with them if it's edible its not invasive. Thx in advance

[@CountryWhatnotGardens]

Hi, P. atrovaginata and P. parvifolia have each been outperforming P. bissetii for me here for the past few winters since atrovaginata and parvifolia have been getting settled in. I believe clumpers, in the cold hardy genus Fargesia, would be out of the question for livestock food only because of the incredibly slow growth. P. rubromarginata spreads much faster than the other Phyllostachys species I’ve mentioned here. The drawback is that it’s not nearly as cold hardy and has top-killed all but one winter for me. Your minimum temperature of -25ºC (-13ºF) would leave you without green foliage for feed with rubromarginata. Between atrovaginata and parvifolia, atrovaginata is the faster grower. I’m happy you like the videos. Thank you for watching. :)

[@drquack4213]

This video is useful because I’m interested in using Bissetii to make a grove, but personally how fast does it spread based on your experience?

[@CountryWhatnotGardens]

P. bissetii does spread, but it's not the fastest in the genus. It will vary under different growing conditions too. Bamboo, no matter which one, will take 2-3 years to establish a root system. During which time it will appear to be doing nearly nothing above ground. After that it will slowly gain speed. The grove in this video was planted as one plant in 2000 and would be larger if I hadn't contained it by mowing the perimeter. I got the plant in 1997 and moved it to this location in 2000.

[@drquack4213]

@@CountryWhatnotGardens Thank you, I’ll consider this when making my final choice

[@robstrobel9524]

Thank you This information is hard to come by in zone 6 michigan

[@CountryWhatnotGardens]

I'm happy you like it. Thank you for watching. 😊