Phyllostachys bambusoides Castillonii - Giant Bamboo

Phyllostachys bambusoides 'Castillonii' is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful giant bamboos.  This variety imposes itself not only by the size of its culms, which can reach 12m (39ft) in height under good conditions, but also by their unusual graphics. Bright yellow, they are traversed by green furrows and more irregular green streaks near their base. Its evergreen foliage delicately variegated with cream forms a superb contrast with the green and gold bicoloured culms. Resistant to cold, this trailing variety is perfect for quickly forming a windbreak hedge or a remarkable bamboo forest.                                               

Originally from China, Phyllostachys bambusoides belongs to the family of Poaceae, it is a kind of giant woody grass. The 'Castillonii' form was selected for its strongly bicoloured culms and its slightly variegated foliage, denser at the base than in the majority of giant bamboos. This variety, capable of withstanding temperatures as low as -12°C (10.4°F), prefers long hot summers, full sun as well as fertile and fresh soils. It is a bamboo with surface and trailing rhizomes, capable of colonizing large spaces over time. The plant produces straight and resistant culms that can reach 8cm (3in) in diameter and 8 to 12m (26 to 39ft) in height in our climates, depending on the growing conditions. These culms are characterized by golden yellow internodes traversed by a very green vertical furrow, as well as green streaks present more sparsely in the lower part. The evergreen leaves are dark green slightly variegated with beige. Narrow, lanceolate, 12 to 15cm (5 to 6in) long, they are grouped in dense tufts along the secondary stems located quite low on the culms. The bamboo only flowers once in its life, very late, and then it dies. 

Phyllostachys bambusoides 'Castillonii' is often planted as a solitary clump, in a grove or as an informal hedge. In a contemporary style garden, it can be combined with certain palm trees and large ornamental grasses such as Pennisetums, Deschampsias, or Miscanthus. It can also be associated with other bamboos such as the 'Castillonis inversa' variety, with green culms striped with yellow, but also with Phyllostachys aurea 'Holochrysa' or even black bamboo, playing with the colours of the culms. Its young shoots are edible once boiled, and its culms, whose strength can be compared to that of steel, are often used as stakes or for the construction of pergolas and fences. It also adapts to cultivation in large containers, on the terrace. 

Advice: Limit the proliferation of the trailing rhizomes of this bamboo by installing "anti-rhizome barriers" made of resin plates vertically planted in the ground from the time of planting.