Fargesia nitida Black Pearl

The Fargesia nitida Black Pearl  is a new variety of non-invasive bamboo with exceptional decorative value. Its modest size does not prevent it from showing vigorous growth and a very dense habit. What makes this variety unique are its particularly dark culms, of a dark plum colour, almost black. Its evergreen foliage, with a dark blue-green colour, completes the picture of this bamboo as a beautiful plant for partial shade. Like all Fargesia, it grows quickly in height but spreads slowly over the years without ever becoming invasive. Plant it in a pot on the terrace or display it as a standalone specimen, like a work of art.

Fargesia nitida is a plant from the Poaceae family, a type of woody-stemmed grass that grows from a non-invasive rhizomatous rootstock, known as clumping. In this type of bamboo, the rhizomes with very short internodes develop slowly at the periphery of the rootstock, which gradually expands, but they also grow towards the centre of the clump, which remains very dense without thinning out in the middle. Fargesia nitida is native to central China where it grows in pine forests up to an altitude of 3400 m (11154 ft 11 in), making it one of the hardiest bamboos. It is cultivated as far as Canada.

The 'Black Pearl' cultivar, recently selected, forms a dense clump from bottom to top, reaching a height of about 2.25 m (7 ft 5 in). Its growth rate is rapid, around 30 to 40 cm (11.8 to 15.7 in) per year, depending on the growing conditions. Eventually, the plant will spread about 1.75 m (5 ft 8 in) on the ground. The culms are upright, slender, 1 cm (0.4 in) in diameter but strong, with a plum colour and covered in bloom when young. Over time, they become almost black and glossy. In the first year, the culms do not have leaves. The foliage present on the culms is evergreen and distributed almost all the way up.  The leaves are abundant, of medium size, lanceolate and tapering at the ends, with a fairly dark blue-green colour and a matte finish.

The Fargesia Black Pearl, with its dense culms and foliage, evergreen and fast growth, is perfect for creating a windbreak or noise screen. Showcase it in the garden or on the terrace, as a standalone plant or in a large pot or container on the balcony or terrace. It blends well with a shrub or large perennial border: tall grasses, giant cannas, and tall dahlias (Dahlia imperialis) will also be good companions for this magnificent bamboo. To add surprising foliage interest in summer, it can be paired with a viticella-type clematis with red flowers (Madame Julia Correvon, purpurea Plena Elegans, Avant Garde), whose vines will twine around the black culms, their small foliage blending naturally with the vegetation of the Black Pearl bamboo.