6 non-running fast-growing bamboos

Fargesia nitida ‘Great Wall’

Non-running, the Fargesia nitida ‘Great Wall’ allows for the quick creation of green screens. With a rapid growth rate, this non-running bamboo will reach a height of 2 to 4 metres in just a few years. But how long does it take for a Fargesia bamboo of this type to grow? In the first year, it establishes itself, then it can gain 50 cm to 1 m per year. With its upright, flexible habit, green culms that turn purple-red over time, and remarkably fine dense foliage, it is ideal for quickly creating small, impenetrable screens or small, exotic groves. This bamboo is quite graphic, making it remarkable in contemporary settings.

Hardy down to -26 °C, it can be planted in shade or partial shade, sheltered from cold, drying winds. It can also be grown in pots, allowing you to use it on a terrace as a green screen to manage sightlines or create intimate spaces.

With a clumping rootstock, the installation of a rhizome barrier is therefore optional.

Fargesia nitida ‘Great Wall’

Fargesia sp Jiuzhaigou ‘Deep Purple®’

The Fargesia ssp. Jiuzhaigou ‘Deep Purple’ is part of a collection of 11 varieties of bamboos brought from the Jiuzhaigou mountains in China, which explains its impressive hardiness down to -25 °C. Remarkably colourful, it is a highly decorative specimen. Its growth is quite rapid for a Fargesia, as it can grow between 20 and 40 cm per year. It belongs to the non-running bamboos with fast growth! It forms a dense and upright clump that does not become bare. At maturity, it reaches a height of about 2 to 3 m at most, with a spread of 2 m.

Its graceful habit, fine culms of 1 cm in diameter that are a deep plum colour almost resembling mahogany, adorned with white cauline sheaths, and its finely textured leaves make it a unique bamboo, intensely graphic.

Its moderate height makes it ideal for creating lovely small evergreen hedges. It is also perfect as a solitary clump or in a large pot or container on the balcony or terrace.

This cespitose bamboo requires little maintenance, thriving vigorously in partial shade as well as in full shade without a rhizome barrier.

Fargesia ssp. Jiuzhaigou ‘Deep Purple’

Fargesia nitida ‘Black Pearl’

Another exceptional non-running bamboo for its decorative value. Its clumping nature does not prevent ‘Black Pearl’ from displaying vigorous growth. It forms a very dense bush from bottom to top, reaching about 2.25 m in height and 1.75 m across, growing 30 to 40 cm per year if the growing conditions are optimal. It bears dark plum-coloured canes, almost black, from which it gets its name, highlighted by beautiful dark bluish-green foliage.

This fast-growing non-running bamboo from the collection thrives in partial shade or even in denser shade, sheltered from the scorching rays of the sun.

As it does not thin out in the centre and grows quickly in height, it is perfect for creating a windbreak or a noise screen. You can also showcase it as a rare specimen by cultivating it as a solitary clump or in a large pot or container on the balcony or terrace.

Fargesia nitida ‘Black Pearl’

Fargesia scabrida ‘Asian wonder’

‘Asian Wonder’ is a recent non-running medium-sized variety that is still relatively uncommon but deserves to be better known for its highly ornamental qualities. With a rapid growth rate for a fargesia, it reaches a height of 3.5 to 5 m in just a few years. It produces very fine, green canes tinged with purple and adorned with mahogany sheaths, giving it a striking appearance. It is also distinguished by the delicacy of its dark green foliage.

Hardy down to -20°C, we recommend planting your Fargesia in partial shade, as this is the most suitable situation for it, although it also tolerates full sun well, provided it is not scorching.

With its strong personality, this bamboo is best suited for solitary planting. Due to its rapid growth, this fargesia is also an excellent solution for screening out unwanted views. It is perfect for small gardens and can be planted in groups.

Fargesia scabrida ‘Asian Wonder’

Fargesia robusta ‘Wolong’

The Fargesia robusta ‘Wolong’ is not a non-running bamboo like the others. It has a larger stature than other cespitose bamboos, reaching up to 5 m in height with a spread of 2 to 3 m at ripeness. This bamboo is highly valued for its compactness and dense foliage.

It forms a beautiful, dense bush with a slightly arching habit at the top. Its graphic appearance is also exceptional! It is distinguished by the size of its lush leaves, which are larger and broader than those of other varieties, giving this cultivar a lovely exotic look. They conceal slender, bright green canes dressed in whitish sheaths, which turn an anise yellow in the sun.

This fast-growing fargesia bamboo will suit many garden styles, from the most contemporary to the most exotic. Perfectly cold-resistant and adaptable to all exposures, it also offers good drought tolerance.

Truly screening, it can be used in masses to quickly create small forests or effective and exotic green screens. It will thus express its beauty when isolated or at the heart of an exotic bed. This bamboo also tolerates cultivation in a large pot on a sunny or slightly shaded terrace.

Fargesia robusta ‘Wolong’

Fargesia robusta ‘Pingwu’

The  Fargesia robusta ‘Pingwu’  is certainly among the most beautiful non-running bamboos! This fast-growing non-running bamboo can reach heights of 2.5 to 4.5 metres in just a few years. It forms an elegant, dense, and compact clump. It is recognised by its graphic and colourful culms, all in contrasts: green canes about 2 cm in diameter, adorned with white cauline sheaths. They bear leaves of a lovely glossy green.

In open ground, in pots, or in containers, this Fargesia thrives in all exposures, whether in partial shade or full sun.

Its graphic and elegant appearance adds a beautiful contemporary touch to gardens and terraces. It can be planted as a standalone feature, where it will be highlighted like a work of art, in a mass planting, or as a hedge to manage sightlines.

For further reading

• Don’t know how to properly choose a bamboo? Here are all the keys to selecting the most suitable bamboo varieties for your situation!
• Then take a quick look at the Promesse de Fleurs shop and its many non-running bamboo varieties.