How do you develop hardier strains for everything...hmmm...don't believe everything you read-their marketing their product...

They also say 4in diameter culms in 3 years on vivax aureocaulis...with a vigourous fertilizer regime...what are they giving it the "B.Bonds Special Balco MIx"...

I have good luck with the fargesias - nitida and murealae. I bend over and cover mine in winter to insure hardiness and evergreen character. If you'd like pictures of my technique, e-mail me at newgars@new.rr.com. I am trying phyllostachys nuda for the first time this year - supposedly the hardiest timber bamboo.

I planted nuda too but it's been a little slow-going so far. Apparently it needs a few years to get going, at least in Wisc.

Word about P. rubromarginata is that it has been successful in Denver, CO -- where it's grown at the Denver Zoo. Technically, that part of CO is zone 5, but Denver seems to have a relatively mild climate compared to other zone 5 areas around the country.

I grow Ph. Robromarginata in zone 5. It has worked pretty well so far. This will be the second winter for it. It spreads out and gets bigger every summer, even if it does look a little ratty in the early spring. I am using wilt-pruf on it this year and so far it looks healthy and green despite the cold windy weather we have gotten so far this year.

I also grow Ph. atrovaginata successfully so far.

I just got Ph. Vivax 'aureocaulis' last spring, so this is the first winter for it here. So far, so good.

Bruce-
Just a word of caution...Ph. vivax 'Aureocaulis' is thin-walled, like regular vivax, and culms can get snapped under snow loading, so if you have culms of any decent size, you may want to shake them off if the snow starts piling up.

My Vivax is just a baby now, about 2 feet tall with 1/4 inch culms, so it still bends easily now. I will keep it in mind for the future though.

Talk of large, fragile vivax culms in a zone 5 climate might be all academic. The way I look at it, weak-walled vivax doesn't matter much here because it will probably get killed to the ground every winter anyway. What is really going to matter is how fast can vivax come back from the ground in spring. Can it get to any size in zone 5? That is the question. I dunno.

Thuja,
I'll let you know in the spring....
planted mine in summer of 2003 and the last 2 winters were aweful. this year looks to be the same so far. i've had yellow groove grow like mad, but the vivax didn't start running until this fall. unless they're deep it still didn't go far, but a few of the rhizomes that grew a foot or more away from the clump were a lot bigger. my biggest culm this year was average finger size and about 8' tall. wishful thinking puts em @ 20' in the spring, but I'd be happy with 12-15 footers.

Does any thing grow well here (just outside of Boise)

Anything, or bamboo? lewisbamboo.com lists that they have sent bamboo to boise.
http://lewisbamboo.com/locations.html

Here is a link that might be useful: boise

flash
You might try Horseshoe Nursery which is 19 miles north of Boise.

Bill

Here is a link that might be useful: Horseshoe Nursery

I just looked at the Lewis site to see where he's shipped 'boo in Massachusetts. Got a good laugh when I saw "Marsh Pee" as one of the towns... (actually Mashpee -- a Wampanoag native word).

I've had nuda in Milwaukee (5b) for about five years. This spring I moved it because I felt that its location on the south side of my garage tended to heat up too much in mid-winter on still days. I tended to get a lot of leaf burn regardless of whether I used Wilt-Pruf or not. It was also reaching toward the south, which made walking on my sidewalk difficult. It's now behind my koi pond.

Now that I've moved it, we're having one heck of a cold and windy December. I don't think I've ever seen it whip around so much, although it's sheltered half of its height by a wood fence to the west and south of it. We'll see how well it survived the move and the brutal winter by next May.

I planted what I think is nuda right by my sidewalk. I can only hope it will be difficult to walk by one day.

Lets keep in touch next spring Thuja and Rand412. I've planted nuda up here in Green Bay and am quite curious as to how it will handle this colder than normal December.

10-4.
Rokwiz is nearby too... the Wisconsin Chapter.
Over & out.

Yup, I'm here too, ( I think? )

When's the next chapter meeting?

LOL, we'll have to have our meeting in spring during shooting season. Bring your micrometer for culm caliper measurements.