Group/Class:  Sasa Type

Description:

A remarkable bamboo species producing enormous leaves that cascade on a mounded habit; perfectly suited for foundation planting and privacy screens; ideal for containers and well lit indoor enviroments

Ornamental Features

Giant Leaf Bamboo is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its interestingly mounded form. Its attractive enormous narrow compound leaves remain forest green in color throughout the year. The gold stems are very colorful and add to the overall interest of the plant.

Landscape Attributes

Giant Leaf Bamboo is a dense herbaceous evergreen perennial with a mounded form. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

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.

Giant Leaf Bamboo is recommended for the following landscape applications;

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

Planting & Growing

Giant Leaf Bamboo will grow to be about 6 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 feet. 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 does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. 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 species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division.

Giant Leaf Bamboo is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants 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.