What soil does Black bamboo grow in?

It tolerates these soils: average garden soil, clay, sandy, calcareous, acidic.

Is Black bamboo hardy?

Hardy down to -18 °C (USDA zone 6, RHS H6). In the colder parts of the country (Banská Bystrica Region, Prešov Region, Žilina Region) it may not survive winter without protection.

How far apart should Black 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 Black bamboo need?

Water need: medium. Drought tolerance: low.

What should I plant instead of Black bamboo?

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

Black bamboo

Phyllostachys nigra

Black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra) is an ornamental grass. Light: full sun, part shade. Hardy down to -18 °C. Drought tolerance: low. Sold in local shops from about €45. We do not recommend it for most Central European gardens.

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

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

An elegant evergreen bamboo whose canes emerge green and darken to glossy black within one to three years, which makes it striking as a specimen, as a screen or in a large tub. It likes sun or part shade in a spot sheltered from wind, with rich, moist but not waterlogged soil, and needs plenty of water in summer. It is a running bamboo: its rhizomes set off across the garden, so plant it only inside a root barrier or in a container, and expect the foliage to brown in a hard winter.

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

It is a running bamboo: it spreads by horizontal rhizomes that send up new canes at a distance from the clump, pass under fences and edging and reach the neighbours. In cooler climates and in poor, dry soil it starts slowly and looks clump-forming, but in warm, moist, fertile soil it begins to run vigorously after a few years, so never plant it in open ground without containment. What works: a thick plastic rhizome barrier enclosing the whole planting area, dug in at least 60 to 70 cm deep with its rim a few centimetres above the soil, checked once a year for rhizomes trying to climb over; the alternative is a large closed container. An established stand can only be removed by digging out all the rhizomes, and discarded rhizome pieces resprout in the wild (escaped stands are known in Central Europe), so never dump the trimmings outdoors. Hardiness is borderline: it survives to about -18 °C; in prolonged hard frost and drying wind the leaves scorch, in a colder winter the canes are killed too, though the base usually resprouts, and young plants are worth protecting. The species is currently flowering all over the world at once, which happens roughly every 120 years: flowering plants weaken and often die, so check a plant for flower heads before buying. Slugs may eat the young shoots.

Key facts

Light: Full sun, Part shade
Water need: Medium
Care: High
Size after 10 years: 4 m × 3 m
Hardiness: down to -18 °C
Foliage: Evergreen

Group	Ornamental grass
Light	Full sun, Part shade
Size after 10 years	4 m × 3 m
Ultimate size	3–8 m × 2.5–6 m
Hardiness	down to -18 °C (USDA 6, RHS H6)
Soil	Average garden soil, Clay, Sandy, Calcareous, Acidic
Foliage	Evergreen
Flowering	no data
Water need	Medium
Drought tolerance	Low
Maintenance	High
Root aggressiveness	High
Suckering	no data
Spreading	High
Distance from buildings	no data
Distance from paving	no data
Litter	not typical
Planting distance	100 cm
For dogs	Non-toxic (uncertain)
For cats	Non-toxic (uncertain)
For children	no data
Typical price	from about €45

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.

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 €22

Robust clumping bamboo

Fargesia robusta 3.5 m × 1.5 m after 10 years

A clump-forming bamboo that does not run: the clump only thickens slowly and stays where you plant it, so it needs no rhizome barrier. It is one of…

Ornamental grass

Part shade

Full sun

from about €11

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 €20