Fargesia bamboo looks more dainty and petite than other forms of the bamboo, with smaller leaves and slimmer stems. Fargesia grows in clumps and contains many different varieties, which can grow from 1.5m to 4m in height. They are often prized for the delicacy of their fine, whip-like leaves, and the vibrant colours of the bamboo canes themselves, which can vary in shade from a rich jade to purple. Fargesia varieties are exceptionally hardy plants and can thrive in all sorts of soils and environments. In their native China and across the Himalayas, they can be found in thick woods and at very high altitudes, making them ideal for gardens which have a lot of shade – although they also cope well with sunny areas as well, provided they are not overexposed and are at least partly in shade.
When it comes to indoor plants, or cultivation in garden planters, fargesia varieties are the most suitable sort of bamboo, due to their smaller size and method of propagation.
What makes Fargesia bamboos different ?
Unlike other bamboos, fargesia does not require a bamboo barrier to prevent it spreading unwanted to other areas of a garden – it is seen as the most “well-behaved” form of the plant. There are around 90 or so currently recognised species of fargesia bamboos, although the varieties most favoured by UK gardeners are generally referred to as the “umbrella bamboos,” such as fargesia angustissima, fargesia murieliae, fargesia rufa, fargesia robusta Campbell and fargesia Jiuzhaigou – the latter being one of the newer varieties to be introduced to the UK. Among these, fargesia mureliae is generally popular, due to its attractive yellow-green canes and masses of soft leaves in a mild green shade, as well as its compact growth pattern. Umbrella bamboos eventually form large, lush impressive clumps and are often mistaken by the uninitiated for bushes or hedges.