I've been reading and studying and talking to several different nursery's and reported bamboo folks "in-the-know". Questions I have asked about types of boo that interest me, (and YES, I am looking at posted zones and temp's,) are being replied to as "you cant grow that in area" or "wont do well in climate" yet their sites clearly list it as it will. I ask 3 different "experts" about survival of a specific boo and I get 3 different answers as to if it will make it. Everything from "once established it will do great" to "if you can get it past the first winter it will survive, but at deminished sizes" to "I'll sell it to you, but its gonna die in your climate."

So here is my question to the experienced bamboo growers of zone 6b (and last winter we actually rated a zone 7 here - only 2 nights of -3F and only 5 nights in 5 years that it has touched -5F) WHAT HAS GROWN FOR YOU? both as clumping and running.

I have been told I can grow a running variety as a clumping one as the growing season is so short here that they dont have a long enough time to spred far.

Thanks,

A Frustrated and Confused Pyrate