Golden Bamboo - Phyllostachys aurea

Phyllostachys aurea, also known as golden bamboo, is a moderately spreading species of medium size, widely used around the world. It produces stubble, or canes, which are almost golden green before turning orange with age when the plant is exposed to sunlight. It has a dense evergreen foliage, light green in colour, and can reach a height of 6 m (19.7 ft). Highly resistant to cold, it makes a good screen, planted as evergreen hedges or in the background of flower beds.

Native to China and Japan, this bamboo belongs to the Poaceae family. It is a species that forms dense clumps and has shallow, spreading rootstocks. They produce straight and sturdy canes that can reach 20 m to 30 m (66 ft to 98.4 ft) in its native regions, but rarely more than 6 m to 10 m (19.7 ft to 32.8 ft) elsewhere. It is characterised by stacked and compressed nodes, sometimes visible at the base of certain canes. These internodal protrusions are called "turtle scales". The canes are bright green, then yellow, and turn orange with age. The evergreen leaves are narrow, lanceolate, 17 cm (6.7 in) long, and are densely clustered along the canes.

Phyllostachys aurea is often planted as a single clump, in a grove, or a free-standing hedge. In a contemporary style garden, it pairs well with tall ornamental grasses such as pennisetums, deschampsias, or miscanthus. Its young shoots are edible, and its sturdy canes, which rival the strength of steel, are often used as garden stakes or for constructing pergolas and fences. It also adapts very well to being grown in large containers on a terrace.

Tip: Limit the spread of the spreading rootstocks of this bamboo by installing "anti-rhizome barriers". These are made of resin and are inserted vertically in the ground from the time of planting.