Read a commented umbrella bamboo profile here. The 10 most beautiful Fargesia species at a glance. Informative tips for planting and caring for umbrella bamboo as a hedge, solitary and in a pot.
What is umbrella bamboo and how do you care for it?
Umbrella bamboo (Fargesia) is an easy-care, evergreen plant from China with bushy, upright growth and arching, elongated leaves. Ideal as a solitary plant, hedge plant or in a pot, it thrives in sunny to partially shaded locations, on fresh, moist, permeable and humus-rich soil.
Profile
- Scientific name: Fargesia
- Family: Sweet grasses (Poaceae)
- Species: 83 to 90 species
- Origin: China
- Growth type: Grass
- Growth height: 150 cm to 600 cm
- Growth: bushy, upright, clumpy
- Leaves: elongated, overhanging
- Leaf characteristics: evergreen
- Flowers: brown spikes
- Roots: Rhizomes without runners
- Winter hardiness: hardy
- Use: Solitaire, hedge plant, container plant
Growth
Umbrella bamboo is an evergreen, easy-care design component for an attractive garden all year round. A look at the key growth data explains the high esteem in which the Asian bamboo genus is held:
- Growth habit: tightly upright, bushy-branched, umbrella-like and elegantly overhanging when old.
- Culks: 1.5 to 5 m high, up to 5 cm thick, depending on the type and age in decorative colors and shades.
- Leaves: evergreen, narrow-lanceolate, 4-14 cm long, 0.5-1.5 cm wide, rich green to light green.
- Growth speed: 20 cm to 80 cm per year.
Video: Umbrella bamboo - ideal growth for the easy-care privacy hedge
Species
The genus Fargesia includes 83 to 90 elegant species, most of which are native to China. There the grasses thrive up to altitudes of 4,000 meters and are therefore tough. There is the ideal type of bamboo for every garden situation. The following table introduces you to five recommended umbrella bamboo species with remarkable properties:
| Species | Botanical name | Growth height | Growth width | leaves | Growth rate | Speciality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umbrella Bamboo | Fargesia rufa | 200-300 cm | 150-250 cm | elongated, rich green | 40-50 cm | overhanging like a cascade |
| Muriel's umbrella bamboo | Fargesia murielae | 200-300 cm | 100-250 cm | lanceolate, light green | 20-40 cm | hardy down to -28° Celsius |
| Fountain Umbrella Bamboo | Fargesia nitida | 300-400 cm | 250-400 cm | long, narrow, shiny green | 40-80 cm | blueblack stalks |
| Hedge Bamboo | Fargesia robusta | 400-600 cm | 150-200 cm | delicate-narrow, bluish underneath | 20-45 cm | extra thick, stable stalks |
| Waterfall Bamboo | Fargesia denudata | 300-400 cm | 250-350 cm | filigree, densely bushy | 20-40 cm | Bamboo of the Year 2015 |
Roots
Umbrella bamboo does not proliferate and does not form runners. Rather, the shallow-rooted organism thrives as a compact clump without any invasive urge to spread. In this respect, Fargesia species differ from other bamboo genera, which make themselves unpopular in the garden due to uncontrolled root growth. As a positive result, a rhizome barrier is unnecessary when planting umbrella bamboo.
Usage
Umbrella bamboo began its career as an authentic design element for the Japanese garden. Today the impressive bamboo species decorates gardens of all styles. Let these possible uses inspire you for your very own design ideas with umbrella bamboo:
- Single position in the front garden as an easy-care house tree alternative.
- Hedge plant as fencing, natural fence and privacy screen in the garden
- Riverside planting for garden pond and stream.
- Potter plant with privacy function on balconies and terraces.
- Evergreen backdrop plant in the perennial bed.
Planting umbrella bamboo
You can plant an umbrella bamboo in a container all year round provided there is frost-free weather and open ground. The best time to plant beds and containers is in spring so that the root system can build up robustly before winter. By choosing the right location, you can set the course for a magnificent, long-lasting Fargesia. You can find out where and how to properly plant an umbrella bamboo as a hedge, potted plant or solitaire here:
Location
Under these conditions, umbrella bamboo develops its optimum:
- Sunny to partially shaded, ideally without direct sun in the winter months.
- Humid location, preferably in the immediate vicinity of a garden pond or stream.
- Warm and protected from the wind.
- Fresh, moist garden soil, permeable and humus.
- Normal to slightly acidic pH between 5.0 and 6.5.
Planting umbrella bamboo
Due to its rapid growth rate, umbrella bamboo is often planted as a hedge. Individually or in a group, the Asian ornamental grass sets stylish accents and is useful as a local privacy screen. The correct planting distance is just as important as competent planting technique. The best planting tips for umbrella bamboo to read:
- Preparation: place the potted root ball in a tub of water.
- Planting pit: double the volume of the root ball, enrich the excavation with horn shavings and compost.
- Planting distance umbrella bamboo hedge: 0.50 cm to 100 cm, or 1 to 2 plants per meter.
- Planting distance single position: 100 cm to 200 cm, tailored to the growing width.
- Planting depth: corresponds to the planting depth in the container, for baled goods according to the soil mark on the stalks.
To plant an umbrella bamboo hedge, you can dig a planting trench, the course of which you mark beforehand with strings stretched out. An umbrella bamboo is planted correctly when its root disk is flush with the surface of the soil. Press the soil with both hands. In the last step, pour thoroughly.
Planting Fargesia in a pot
Basically, umbrella bamboo has no objection to living in a pot, as long as the size and shape are right. The chosen Fargesia species determines the starting size. For the dwarf bamboo 'Luca' (Fargesia murieliae), a pot size of 5 liters is sufficient to start with, whereas for a mighty bamboo 'Jumbo' the first pot should be an impressive 10 to 20 liters in size. It is important to note that the bucket shape is straight. If you plant an umbrella bamboo in a bulbous pot, every repotting will be a test of nerves because you cannot pull out the root ball.
Plant umbrella bamboo in the pot over a 10 cm high drainage made of chippings or expanded clay. A suitable substrate is a mixture of pot plant soil without peat and rhododendron soil, optimized with coconut fibers as a peat substitute and lava granules.
Excursus
Umbrella bamboo is blooming – what to do?
When an umbrella bamboo blooms, the plant is doomed. In fact, fargesias are exhausted to death following flowering and fruiting. The good news is: umbrella bamboo species bloom at intervals of 80 to 120 years. The bad news is: amateur gardeners cannot prevent bamboo from blooming. The only option is to harvest and sow mature Fargesia seeds.
Caring for Umbrella Bamboo
Umbrella bamboo is easy to care for. Regular attention requires a high level of water and nutrients. Moderate winter protection makes sense in rough locations and in containers. An occasional shape and maintenance cut ensures a well-groomed appearance. How to properly care for Fargesia umbrella bamboo:
Pouring
High water consumption is characteristic of the densely leafy umbrella bamboo. The evergreen ornamental grass is very comfortable with uniform soil moisture without waterlogging. Water Fargesia regularly and thoroughly when it is dry. In the sunny location, you can pay the magnificent guy a visit with the watering can in the morning and evening in the summer. Stale tap water, skimmed pond water or collected rainwater are well suited as irrigation water.
Fertilize
All umbrella bamboo species are heavy feeders. Regular fertilization is mandatory for fast, dense growth without deficiency symptoms. Fargesia in the bed are fertilized with compost and horn shavings in April, June and August. As a container plant, fertilize umbrella bamboo with a liquid bamboo fertilizer that you add to the irrigation water every two weeks from April to July. Commercially available complete fertilizers contain too high a proportion of phosphate and too little potassium for he althy bamboo growth. When purchasing fertilizer, look for a Fargesia-friendly NPK composition of 7:1:7 or similar.
Wintering
In Germany you can only buy winter-hardy umbrella bamboo species and varieties. There is controversy among bamboo gardeners about the degree of winter hardiness. These simple protective measures have proven to be useful for Fargesia in beds and pots:
- Do not fertilize from the end of July/beginning of August.
- Water umbrella bamboo occasionally even in winter.
- In the first winter, loosely tie an umbrella bamboo together to form a column using raffia cord.
- Cover the root disc in the bed and pot with leaves and brushwood.
- Place the bucket on wood and cover it with fleece or jute.
Like most evergreen balcony and terrace plants, umbrella bamboo prefers to overwinter in a pot with a roof over its head. The right winter quarters are light or dark and frost-free at temperatures around 5° Celsius.
Cutting
Umbrella bamboo tolerates cutting well. However, regular pruning care is not mandatory. In an isolated position or as a free-growing hedge, it is sufficient if you occasionally thin out the ornamental grass. Cut off dead stalks at ground level. Cut umbrella bamboo as a topiary hedge at a height just above a leafy stalk node. Trim the sides and flanks of a bamboo hedge as necessary.
The best time for pruning is between autumn and late winter. An umbrella bamboo should have finished growing this year on the chosen date. It is important to note that the incision must be carried out in a planned manner. Once cut off, stalks and side branches will not sprout again. This means that cutting errors can only be corrected during the next stalk growth phase.
Popular varieties
In addition to the umbrella bamboo species suitable for the garden, there are numerous beautiful Fargesia varieties to discover in stores:
- Bamboo 'Jumbo': popular Fargesia murielae variety, bushy, overhanging, feather-light, delicate foliage, 200-350 cm high.
- Black Pearl: Premium variety for individual placement with violet-blue to black stalks, growth height up to 400 cm.
- Campbell: best type of bamboo for pots and hedges with privacy factor, evergreen leaves with bluish underside, growth height up to 500 cm.
- Ivory Ibis: impresses with decorative, lime green, slender leaves all year round and easy to cut, growth height 300-350 cm.
- Fargesia murielae 'Maasai': elegant umbrella bamboo with a columnar silhouette, 3 m high and 1.50 m wide.
FAQ
Is an umbrella bamboo hedge suitable as a windbreak?
No, umbrella bamboo needs a location protected from the wind. In windy areas the stalks can break. For a stable windbreak hedge, other ornamental grasses are recommended, such as Miscanthus 'Große Fontaine' (Miscanthus sinensis) with stalks up to 220 cm high.
Is umbrella bamboo 'Jumbo' suitable as a privacy screen in a 180 cm long pot? How many plants to buy?
So that umbrella bamboo 'Jumbo' forms an opaque privacy screen, you need a total of 4 plants for a 180 cm long pot. In the pot, the planting distance is usually shorter than for an umbrella bamboo hedge in the bed. Please use a pot with straight, vertical walls and several bottom openings for water drainage.
Which umbrella bamboo variety is suitable for a hedge in a sunny location?
Fargesia murielae 'Jumbo' is one of the best varieties for an umbrella bamboo hedge in a sunny location. This bamboo is robust, easy to care for and reaches a height of 150 cm to 250 cm. Furthermore, 'Jumbo' tolerates cutting very well and does not form annoying runners. The most important care measure in a sunny place is a regular water supply at all times of the year.
