What soil does Yellow groove bamboo grow in?

It tolerates these soils: average garden soil.

Is Yellow groove bamboo hardy?

Hardy down to -29 °C (USDA zone 4, RHS H7). It gets through winter in every part of the country.

How far apart should Yellow groove bamboo be planted?

Planted on its own, it needs 1 m between plants. For a hedge, allow 1 plants per metre.

How much water does Yellow groove bamboo need?

Water need: medium. Drought tolerance: medium.

What should I plant instead of Yellow groove bamboo?

We do not recommend it for most Central European gardens. For a similar purpose we recommend: Rufa clumping bamboo, Fountain bamboo, Robust clumping bamboo, Pampas grass.

Yellow groove bamboo

Phyllostachys aureosulcata

Yellow groove bamboo (Phyllostachys aureosulcata) is an ornamental grass. Light: full sun, part shade. Hardy down to -29 °C. Drought tolerance: medium. Sold in local shops from about €70. We do not recommend it for most Central European gardens.

Illustration of Yellow groove bamboo — An illustration of the typical shape of the mature plant, not a photo.

What it's good for, and what it isn't

A very hardy evergreen running bamboo that builds a dense, year-round screen 4 to 6 m tall within a few years; the forms on sale have golden-yellow canes with or without a green stripe. It does best in sun or part shade in rich, moist but well-drained soil and wants plenty of water in summer. Plant it only inside a properly installed rhizome barrier or in a large container, otherwise its runners will spread unstoppably through the garden and into the neighbours.

We do not recommend this plant

We do not recommend it for most Central European gardens. Further down we show what to plant instead.

Watch out for

A running bamboo: it spreads by tough horizontal rhizomes that travel several metres from the parent clump within a few years, pass under fences, edging and paving, and come up in cracks and along walls. Every piece of rhizome resprouts, so an established grove can only be removed by digging out the whole root zone. Do not plant it in open ground without containment. What really works: an HDPE rhizome barrier at least 1.5 mm thick, set in a trench about 70 cm deep (some recommendations go to 90 cm), leaning slightly outwards, with its rim standing 5 cm above the soil and the two ends overlapped and bolted together with a stainless clamp strip. Check along the rim once a year in autumn and cut off rhizomes trying to climb over. The alternative is a large container with a closed base. In Central Europe bamboos that leave gardens (mostly as dumped rhizome pieces) establish along woodland edges and stream banks; Switzerland has banned the sale of the related golden bamboo, but this species is on neither the EU nor the Hungarian invasive list. In hard frost without snow (below roughly -20 °C) the leaves turn brown and some canes may die back, but the plant reshoots from the base.

Key facts

Light: Full sun, Part shade
Water need: Medium
Care: High
Size after 10 years: 5 m × 4 m
Hardiness: down to -29 °C
Foliage: Evergreen

Group	Ornamental grass
Light	Full sun, Part shade
Size after 10 years	5 m × 4 m
Ultimate size	4–8 m × 3.7–7.6 m
Hardiness	down to -29 °C (USDA 4, RHS H7)
Soil	Average garden soil
Foliage	Evergreen
Flowering	no data
Water need	Medium
Drought tolerance	Medium
Maintenance	High
Root aggressiveness	High
Suckering	no data
Spreading	High
Distance from buildings	no data
Distance from paving	no data
Litter	Leaves
Planting distance	100 cm
For dogs	Non-toxic (uncertain)
For cats	Non-toxic (uncertain)
For children	Non-toxic (uncertain)
Typical price	from about €70

Toxicity data is for information only. If your pet or child has eaten a plant, contact a vet or a doctor.

What to plant instead

Recommended plants that do the same job, with similar characteristics.

Rufa clumping bamboo

Fargesia rufa 2.5 m × 2 m after 10 years

A clump-forming bamboo that does not run, so you can plant it without a root barrier: the clump widens slowly but never wanders through the garden. It…

Ornamental grass

Full sun

Part shade

from about €23

Fountain bamboo

Fargesia nitida 3 m × 1.5 m after 10 years

A clump-forming bamboo: unlike running bamboos it does not send out far-reaching rhizomes, the clump only thickens slowly, so you can plant it without…

Ornamental grass

Part shade

Shade

from about €30