Knowledgebase

Bamboo in containers #358905

Asked September 02, 2016, 11:34 AM EDT

I am wanting to create a natural visual screen on our restaurant patio.  Southern exposure, full sun.  I'm wondering about any variety of bamboo that will do well in containers and what size container/box is adequate.  Thank you, Richard Farrell, Taste of Thailand

Denver County Colorado

Expert Response

Bamboo is a member of the grass family and there are hundreds of varieties of bamboo. Planting bamboo in containers in Colorado can be problematic because of our cold winters. If you plant bamboo in a container you will need to either bring it inside during the winter months or consider it an annual planting in a container. If the bamboo is to be considered as an annual it will not grow to its height at maturity because of our short summers. 

Here is a link to an informational article on bamboo published by the University of Maryland. The article references growing bamboo in containers outdoors. However, because their climate is different than Colorado's that does not really apply to us.

https://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_images/programs/hgic/Publications/HG28%20Bamboo.pdf

For a list of bamboo you can reference the American Bamboo Society at www.americanbamboo.org.

Colorado Master Gardener, Denver County Replied September 08, 2016, 3:06 PM EDT

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