added by
Rose Hochstetler to
Tropical (13 months ago)
Distinguishing traits: An evergreen grass, Alphonse Karr Bamboo has golden irregularly striped canes reaching an inch diameter. New foliage shoots out with a pinkish hue. Canes exposed to direct sun often take on a magenta tinge. Clean canes grow to heights of 20 or 30 feet tall and can be kept at 12 to 20 feet tall when trained as a hedge or grown in a container. Alphonse Karr Bamboo is a clumping bamboo, making it much more manageable and less invasive in the garden. Running bamboo, on the other hand, sends its rhizomes in many directions before sending up new shoots. It can easily take over the garden and needs to be physically contained. While clumping bamboo is slower growing than the running varieties, you will still get an attractive and fully filled-in screen within a few years.