Oldham’s Bamboo
What can I say about this plant other than that you should have one. I use this plant for so many things. The thin branches make great stakes for tomatoes, cucumbers and beans. I’m using the thicker culms as grape trellises.
Aside from being useful, they are an attention grabbing, graceful, specimen in the garden. Once you’ve heard the rich timbre of a large stand of Oldham’s bamboo in a windstorm, you’ll want one in your yard as well. This plant will astound you with the speed at which it grows. From a pencil thin specimen, I had four-inch canes in tree years, and that wasn’t in full sun. If you want a big plant quickly, this is the plant for you. The sight of a four inch diameter shoot bursting through the ground, is on its own, enough reason to grow this plant. Its like having giant nuclear asparagus growing in your yard.
The shoots are edible, but I have heard conflicting accounts as to the palatability of eating them. When I try eating some I’ll report back on it.
Origin
Taiwan
Description
Bambusa oldhamii is a very attractive, and stately bamboo, which is why it is the most popular bamboo in cultivation. The large dark green culms are tall and erect, only curving slightly at the top. The branches are short, with long and wide dark green leaves. The dense foliage of Oldham’s bamboo make it particularly useful as a privacy screen, espescially for second story windows where the foliage is the most dense. The culms are thick-walled but soft, making them not the best choice for load bearing construction projects.
Diameter
4″
Height
45′-65′
Temperature/Zone
15° F, zone 9 or higher. The specimen in my yard has sustained ten days in a row, of sub-freezing temperatures down to the low teens without any damage at all.
Light
These love full sun. If you live in a zone lower than zone 9, then plant it in the protection of a larger tree. You’ll sacrifice growth for safety through the winter. Otherwise, full sun is good.
Water
At maturity, a large stand of this plant is very drought resistant. However, with less water, the plant’s growth will be stunted. More water really does mean more growth. Standing water for any length of time will rot the rhizome of the plant, and cause it to die.
Fertilizer
All-purpose fertilizer applied monthly during the spring and summer.
Pests
Scale and mealy bugs are frequently a problem. A systemic pesticide is really the only way to treat the top of a sixty foot plant.