You're very welcome.
I've been growing a Fargesia rufa Bamboo for around three years now, hoping to get culms big enough to use as poles and stakes. Nope: more like fat grass.
So I'm looking for a fairly cold-hardy clumping bamboo that will have thicker culms even in part shade and less-than-perfect conditions.
Zone 8a allegedly only goes down to 10-15 F in an average winter, but I've already seen colder witners than that. I was hoping to find some fast-growing fairly thick bamboo that wouldn't be bothered by 0-5 F (Zone 7).
Y'know what? I wish the published USDA Hardiness Zone maps were not based on average winters. I wish they were based on 80% or 90% or even 95% winters.
I'm not eager to plant things that are only killed off every other year: I would rather plant something likely to last 5, 10 or 20 years.
