We have several Bamboos in the garden, some tend to be invasive and not entirely as ornamental in appearance as we may wish. One which grows very well in the Aberdeen area and will not disappoint is Phyllostachys Nigra.
This ornamental black stemmed evergreen bamboo makes an excellent specimen plant. The sturdy, yet arching stems turn a shiny ebony black in their third year and is generally non invasive. Don’t allow the plant to become too congested as this will ruin the effect, cut back the thin spindly stems to ground level and leave about 20/25 stems to develop fully.
The leaves on Nigra are a dark green, another good tip is to strip away the lower leaves thereby showing off the black stems to their full glory. This Bamboo does take a few years to reach its full glory, truly well worth the wait.
Position: Full sun/partial shade. Free draining light moist soil
Height: 250/300cm
Hardiness: Fully hardy
© 2007 – 2010, Alistair. All rights reserved.
