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Richard Argo
Argo Bamboo Farm
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Bamboo Short List:
Arrow
Bissetti
Black Bamboo
Dulcis
Golden or Fishcane Bamboo
Gray Henon
Japanese Timber Bamboo or Madake
Koi
Moso
Onion Bamboo
Red Margin or Jackson's Bamboo
Robert Young
Spectabilis
Tranquil
Vivax
Yellow Groove
Bamboo List with Details:
Bamboo is listed by common name, followed by the botanical Latin name. Some bamboo
species sport several common names, depending on your neck of the woods. The Latin
names keep us all on the same page. The height ranges I've listed reflect what you're likely
to see in north Georgia. Final maximum height will vary with growing conditions.
Arrow (Pseudosasa japonica)
Typical Mature Height Range: 12' to 16'
Our Customers Like It Because: Tall narrow canes create a very tropical appearance;
excellent screen where height is a concern.
Description: Used in historic Japan to make arrows. Great for green screens where height
should remain below 20 feet (foliage can begin as low as one foot!). Shade tolerant. Planted
in China today to indicate that you respect your mother and will take care of her. (After learning
this, we've nicknamed it Mother's Day bamboo!) Also tolerant of wind and salt spray, although
I admit that we haven't seen much salt spray in these parts since... oh... the Paleozoic Era.
Bissetti (Phyllostachys bissetii)
Typical Mature Height Range: 23' to 28'
Our Customers Like It Because: Fast spreader, extremely cold hardy so no worry
about freeze damage in Georgia.
Description: Dark green canes offer a visually "cool" appearance, but direct
sunlight can brighten it to a light gold. Good medium-height green screen.
Extremely cold hardy.
Black Bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra)
Typical Mature Height Range: 23' to 28'
Our Customers Like It Because: Black canes offer a visually striking contrast to other
bamboo species.
Description: Black bamboo is the most sought-after ornamental bamboo we know.
Canes emerge as green, but fade to black after a couple of seasons. The black canes
create a pleasing contrast when planted near other greenery. Some canes tend to
lean, giving it a graceful appearance.
Dulcis or Sweet Shoot Bamboo (Phyllostachys dulcis)
Typical Mature Height Range: 30' to 35'
Our Customers Like It Because: Fatter canes make the bamboo look large for its height.
Description: The name, Dulcis, means sweet, in reference to the taste of its shoot.
Our customers are more attracted to the visual impact of the fatter canes, making
Dulcis appear as large as a timber bamboo without the height. The canes will
sometimes display faint creamy vertical stripes.
Giant Leaf
Typical Mature Height Range: 4' to 6'
Our Customers Like It Because: Novelty of the giant leaves, grows well in shade.
Description: Famous for sporting the largest leaves of any bamboo in cultivation
(up to two feet long and four inches wide!). The broad leaves enable it to thrive in
shade and provide a tropical overtone to your interior decorating or landscaping.
Customers who make their own sushi like to serve it on the giant leaves for a
dramatic culinary presentation.
Golden or Fishcane Bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea)
Typical Mature Height Range: 25' to 30'
Our Customers Like It Because: Time-tested bamboo for the Georgia climate, makes
great fishing poles.
Description: Long-time Southern favorite, introduced to America in 1882 in Alabama.
The canes have a irregular growth patterns at the bottom that make terrific hand grips
for fishing poles or walking canes.
Gray Henon (Phyllostachys nigra Henon)
Typical Mature Height Range: 50' to 60'
Our Customers Like It Because: Alternative to green timber bamboo.
Description: Black bamboo's big brother, this timber bamboo eventually produces gray
poles that sometimes seem almost blue. Poles are strong and resemble Japanese
Timber bamboo. Sometimes billed as "Blue Henon," but the amount "blue" depends on
growing conditions, available light, and the peculiarities of your own eyesight.
Japanese Timber Bamboo or Madake (Phyllostachys bambusoides)
Typical Mature Height Range: 50' to 60'
Our Customers Like It Because: Produces tall, strong poles.
Description: Very similar to Vivax in height and size. Requires more time to
reach maximum size, but the reward for your patiences is a pole with a thicker wall
than Vivax and thereby stronger. Every year, we get at least one snow/sleet/icing
event. The additional weight sometimes breaks a few Vivax poles, but our Japanese
Timber has never broken.
Koi (Phyllostachys aurea 'Koi')
Typical Mature Height Range: 22' to 25'
Our Customers Like It Because: Unique ornamental, not too tall
Description: The flamboyant cousin of Fishcane (or Golden) bamboo. Koi sports the
same knuckly, arthritic node patterns along the base as Fish Cane. However, instead of
golden canes, Koi canes are green with occasional golden vertical stripes. Some
leaves are also decorated with yellow stripes. Otherwise, Koi enjoys the same
growth characteristics as Fish Cane bamboo.
Moso (Phyllostachys pubescens)
Typical Mature Height Range: 65' to 70'
Our Customers Like It Because: Potential for the largest bamboo you can grow
in Georgia.
Description: If you want the tallest, biggest bamboo that will grow in Georgia,
Moso is your ticket. The poles can reach diameters greater than six inches. However,
you won't see this size over night: plants can require longer to reach Godzilla size
than other timber bamboos in Georgia. Occasional late frosts can wreak havoc on
this early shooing bamboo, so have patience. The further south of the
Tennessee state line, the better. For you stir fry fans: the bamboo shoots in your
Moo Goo Gai Pan are typically Moso.
Onion Bamboo (Pseudosasa japonica 'Tsutsumiana')
Typical Mature Height Range: 8' to 10'
Our Customers Like It Because: Ornamental nodes resemble green onions.
Description: A cousin to Arrow bamboo, this highly prized ornamental gets its name from
the swollen cane nodes that resemble the bulb of a green onion. Large leaves add to
the tropical look.
Red Margin or Jackson's Bamboo (Phyllostachys rubromarginata)
Typical Mature Height Range: 40' to 50'
Our Customers Like It Because: Fastest spreader we grow.
Description: Best all-around choice for a tall, fast-growing green screen. I've seen
it grow so thick that a cat couldn't crawl through it. Easily outpacing pine trees,
Phyllostachys rubromarginata produced the largest tonnage of dry wood per acre of any
of any bamboo tested by Auburn University. Actually grows more vigorously here than in
its native China!
Robert Young (Phyllostachys viridis 'Sulphurea')
Typical Mature Height Range: 35' to 40'
Our Customers Like It Because: Large ornamental.
Description: A personal favorite, this Robert Young is a beautiful ornamental and
gains an attractive height and diameter. This bamboo was named for Robert A. Young,
USDA horticulturist who wrote extensively about bamboo.
Spectabilis (Phyllostachys aureosulcata 'Spectabilis')
Typical Maximum Height: 25 to 30 feet
Our Customers Like It Because: Zig-zag canes with green stripes.
Description: This "spectacular bamboo" grows bright yellow culms with a green
stripe. A rare bamboo, Spectabilis rivals Red Margin bamboo as an excellent screen
due to its fast, upright growth. In sunny locations, new culms have a spectacular red
highlight. This species also forms occasional zig-zag patterns at the base and
makes a stunning outdoor container plant.
Tranquil (Hibanobambusa tranquillans 'Shiroshima')
Typical Mature Height Range: 8' to 12'
Our Customers Like It Because: Dramatic leaf verigation
Description: Variegated foliage makes this a prized ornamental. Grows very well in
containers. Great landscaping addition to water features.
Vivax (Phyllostachys vivax, vivax 'Aureocaulis')
Typical Mature Height Range: 50' to 60'
Our Customers Like It Because: Fastest combination of spread and height of
any bamboo we grow. Golden Vivax displays green "bar codes" on mature canes.
Description: If you want a bamboo that will grow tall and spread fast, Vivax is for
you. Very hardy and vigorous, Vivax will survive stresses (drought, frost, etc.)
that would kill other bamboos. Mature groves can produce specimens up to five
inches in diameter, with the first branches well above 20 feet. Excellent for creating
a green screen when you want to block the view of power lines, a water tower, or the
neighbor up the hill. Both Green and Golden Vivax remain your best choice for the
maximum height in the minimum time.
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Green Vivax (Phyllostachys vivax): Canes/Poles mature to a lush green. |
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Golden Vivax (P. vivax 'Aureocaulis'): A relatively rare bamboo here in the U.S. Golden Vivax boasts the same height and rapid growth of Green Vivax, but Golden has buttery colored canes with occasional vertical green stripes (also called "Bar Code Bamboo" for this reason). |
