Pleioblastus auricomus - Dwarf Bamboo

Pleioblastus auricomus is a dwarf bamboo, which is creeping and trailing but infinitely graceful and perfectly adapted to harsh climates and difficult situations. Perfectly evergreen and bushy, it is covered with tender and bright green foliage which, in winter, is enhanced by light borders that give it a variegated and decorative appearance. Tolerant of drought, it thrives in any well-drained soil without excessive limestone. Its creeping rhizomes prove to be extremely efficient for fixing the soil of rockeries and slopes, even on a steep slope. Invite it into a natural garden!

Pleioblastus auricomus (synonyms Pleioblastus viridistriata, Arundinaria auricoma, Arundinaria viridistriata) is a very bushy, compact dwarf bamboo, densely branched upwards and with a regular silhouette. Perfectly adapted to harsh winters, it originates from northern Japan and belongs to the family Poaceae. This very small bamboo has pale brown-green culms (or canes), very thin, with a diameter of 1 to 2 mm (1in), and reaching less than 1 m. Fast-growing, it spreads over a large area through its very trailing rhizomes and forms a beautiful rounded, bushy mass that is slightly spread out. Its very evergreen foliage is composed of long leaves of a beautiful tender and bright green. The edge of the foliage tends to dry out in the first cold, giving the leaves a marginate appearance of very light brown or cream.

Robust, perfectly hardy and very undemanding, this bamboo succeeds almost everywhere, to the point of becoming invasive. To contain its growth, we recommend leaving it on a large, unattractive slope or using bamboo root barriers. Graceful and bright in all situations, it is perfectly suited to zen, wild, exotic or contemporary gardens. Tolerating full sun as well as shade, it can be used in light woodland, as ground cover under trees such as the caramel tree, or Acer griseum. It can also form large, evergreen borders along a pathway in a large garden and require very little maintenance.  This dwarf bamboo is too vigorous to be grown in a pot, as it would quickly burst it.