Fargesia nitida

Fountain Bamboo

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Fargesia nitida is another very beautiful bamboo long cultivated in the U.K. Being first introduced around 1889. Fargesia nitida is very dainty in appearance with fine narrow deep green leaves held on slender arching canes which vary in colour from green to greyish blue-black. Despite it's delicate look this bamboo is very hardy surviving temperatures in excess of minus 20 degrees. It is also very clump forming in nature never sending shoots away from the main clump making a spectacular, dense, upright bamboo that gently arches over at the top under the weight of it pretty foliage.

The original plants flowered some time ago and the plants we offer here are from a selection that showed the best characteristics from the parent bamboo.

I've seen this bamboo many time grown in a container on a shady patio or courtyard to great effect. Grown this way it seems to be happy reaching 2-3 metres high and is very graceful and oriental looking. Grown in the ground in a sheltered from strong winds and dappled shade Fargesia nitida makes a beautiful specimen bamboo around 4 metres high

Other: Fargesia nitida bamboo

Position: shade to part shade out of cold, drying winds - especially coastal winds
Soil: all soils, but avoid waterlogged areas very dry soils will need extra watering
Eventual Size: Height 4m. Spread 1.5m, but can be pruned
Habit: upright growth
Foliage: Evergreen

Eventual size after 10 years

Plant Care

Fargesia nitida Bamboo Care

Before planting it is a good idea to soak the bamboo thoroughly to ensure the rots are well and truly saturated then dig a hole at least twice the size of the root ball add compost then place the bamboo so that the finished soil height will be slightly lower than the top of the root ball. Back fill using your soil mixed 50:50 with good compost. Once planted gently firm down the soil around the base add a top dressing of a good fertilizer, we prefer poultry manure, then mulch with a good 8-10 deep layer of compost. Finally water again to help settle the bamboo. In dry periods it may be necessary to repeat watering regularly, if the bamboo looks dry and the leaves are curling this is a sure sign. After the first season we repeat the mulching and feeding each spring.

Now stand back and enjoy. Don’t expect your bamboo to grow away like a rocket, yes bamboo can grow incredibly fast but most of this happens over a 3 month period which is very generally late May through to early August so if you’ve planted either side of this period I’m afraid you’ll have to wait.

Pruning and Grooming

Bamboo can be very accommodating here. I’ve seen pristine clipped hedges and topiary shaped plantings of both Phllostachys aurea and bissetti showing easy how easy it can be managed. What I like to do though on any large bamboo is to remove all old, thin and spindly canes (or culms as us horticulturists call them) then prune away all the side branches off the remaining culms to a height of between 60cm to 150cm depending on your choice. This in my opinion show bamboos off to there best making them stately specimens.

For more information see our Bamboo Care Guide for these types of Bamboo:

Also see our Bamboo FAQ

Question & Answer