Plant Finder Tool

Other Names:  Clumping Bamboo

Description:

A graceful, tall species of bamboo with a tight clumping habit of growth, making it perfectly suited for privacy screens; culms are bright yellow with green stripes and mature to a coppery brown; ideal for containers and well lit indoor environments

Ornamental Features

Alphonse Karr Bamboo is primarily valued in the landscape for its pronouncedly upright and towering form. Its attractive narrow compound leaves emerge yellow in spring, turning light green in color the rest of the year. The coppery-bronze stems are very colorful and add to the overall interest of the plant.

Landscape Attributes

Alphonse Karr Bamboo is a dense herbaceous evergreen perennial with a rigidly upright and towering form. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Alphonse Karr Bamboo is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Alphonse Karr Bamboo will grow to be about 30 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Alphonse Karr Bamboo is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.