November 22, 2024

Culture sheet: black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra)

In a hedge in the garden or on a pot terrace, its black canes and fine foliage bring a touch of exoticism. Black bamboo ( Phyllostachys nigra ) is not very cautious and can therefore be grown in many regions.

Fast-growing, this medium-sized bamboo ( Phyllostachys nigra ) reaches 6 to 8 m in height in our climates. It’s fine, tight culms form a thick screen quite quickly. Olive green when it emerges from the ground, it gradually turns shiny black. Its fine foliage, of glossy dark green, very dense from the base to the top of the canes, persists in winter. Its rhizomes are not very invasive in heavy soils.

Technical sheet

Situation: rustic down to -20 ° C. The wind dries up the foliage from -10 ° C.
Exposure: sunny or slightly shaded and sheltered from strong winds.
Soil: ordinary, rich in organic matter.
Family: Poacea.

Planting

In isolated tuft or in the hedge, spacing the feet from 1.50 to 2 m, associated with other bamboos with colored canes. It supports cultivation in containers placed outside or on a veranda.

Interview

If it snows, shake off the heavy stubble. Wait until the end of summer or fall to install it in the ground, surrounding it with an anti-rhizome barrier. Straw the footwell to protect the roots from the cold. It multiplies by dividing its rhizomes at the end of winter. Bring water in dry weather in all seasons.

Variety

The variety ‘Boryana’ is even more astonishing than the others with its glaucous green culms speckled with brown like a panther skin. She is also much more vigorous.