Description

If you're looking for a highly ornamental bamboo that gets very large very quickly, Vivax Giant Timber Bamboo is a great choice. It is exceptionally cold hardy. The leaves of this species are very large with dark green coloration. Vivax spreads slowly until well established, then shoots more vigorously after several years and becomes a wonderful open grove of huge canes. It fairly easy to control with regular mowing and trimming around the area where you want it to stay. Young shoots are particularly good to eat when cooked.

Vivax is a running bamboo, which means it spreads. Bamboo can be easily controlled in a small area (a normal city yard) simply by mowing or stepping on the young shoots that emerge one time a year in spring. New shoots could also be used for culinary purposes and cooked, much like asparagus. Keep in mind that running bamboo only puts up new shoots for a short time each year, and when they are "shooting", the new plants are very fragile and easy to destroy. Root pruning, a Bamboo Root Barrier or growing plants in above- or below-ground containers are other methods to control spread.

Gardener Direct also carries Bamboo fertilizer and planting soil containing Biochar, a highly porous material that allows for long term water and nutrient holding capabilities. 

Uses

Containers/Pots: Good
Crafts: Good
Edible: Excellent
Hedge: Too tall
Indoor: Too large
Ornamental: Excellent
Privacy Screen: Yes, but high branching with age
Specimen: In containers or when controlled in ground
Wood Quality: Okay, but thin wall

*Other Special Notes: The most cold hardy of the giant timber bamboos, Shoots are excellent for eating. A very attractive ornamental!

Details

USDA Cold Hardiness Zones: 6A-11
Type: Running
Height: Up to 70'
Spread: 10'+ without control
Culm Diameter: 5"
Sun: Full Sun or Part Shade
Soil: Average, well-drained
Growth Rate: Very fast!

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