Phyllostachys viridis Sulphurea - Golden Chinese Bamboo

The Phyllostachys viridis Sulphurea is a very beautiful bamboo that will only become giant if it benefits from warmth. Sensitive to excess water, this variety is one of the few that adapts to mediocre, clay, poor or occasionally dry soils. It is recognized by its powerful, sinuous and rough canes, barely streaked with dark green, changing from tender green to sulfur yellow or golden yellow over time, and its dense light green foliage. Resistant to cold, spreading, it can be grown in the ground as an isolated clump or in a grove, and allows for the creation of superb windbreaks. It also thrives in pots or containers and its young shoots are edible raw or cooked.

Originally from southeast China, Phyllostachys viridis Sulphurea is a tall bamboo with spreading rhizomes and rapid growth in warm climates. It belongs to the family of poaceae (or grasses), it is a kind of giant grass with woody stems.

It has an upright habit and carries low leafy branches on individual canes exposed to the sun. In spring, at the end of May or beginning of June, it produces numerous stems or canes reaching 4 to 10cm (3.9in) in diameter and 7.50m (23 ft) to 15m tall depending on the climate. The more the plant benefits from warmth, the more it develops. Each cane or stem has a sinuous appearance, accentuated by fairly short internodes. They emerge from the ground covered with a black marbled sheath. The colour of the young stems is a pale green marked by scattered dark green dashes. They are covered with a white-blue bloom, especially at the nodes. Over time, the green colour gradually turns yellow, even golden yellow if the canes are exposed to the sun, while they take on a slightly lumpy "orange peel" appearance. The evergreen foliage is composed of medium-sized leaves, light green, sometimes streaked with yellow. They are narrow and lanceolate, tapering at their tips. Perfectly hardy, this bamboo withstands temperatures of at least down to -18°C (-0.4°F).

Phyllostachys Sulphurea is often planted as an isolated clump, in a grove or as a natural hedge. When the climate suits it, it becomes spectacular and extremely decorative, with shades of yellow and green. In a contemporary-style garden, it can be paired with certain palm trees and large ornamental grasses such as pennisetums, deschampsias, or miscanthus. It can be associated with other bamboos such as Phyllostachys bambusoides Castillonis, with yellow stems striped with green, but also with Phyllostachys aurea Holochrysa or even black bamboo, playing with the colours of the canes. Its young shoots are edible and its canes, whose resistance can be compared to that of steel, are often used as stakes or for the construction of pergolas and fences. It adapts well to container cultivation, shaping its development. In this use, it is a very beautiful conservatory or orangery plant.

Tip: Limit the proliferation of the spreading rhizomes of this bamboo by installing "anti-rhizome barriers" from the time of planting, which are resin plates planted vertically in the ground.