Not sure of any bamboos for Zone 5..., yes, for Zone 6 plus. I would only recommend clumping bamboo bamboos unless you are prepared to battle bamboo into your senior years (in our warming climate)..., but your cold zone may mitigate this ISSUE..., temporarily at least.

Nothing is going to be quick in zone 5-6 in my opinion. I like Fargesia (most cold hardy of the clumpers), but am currently venturing into other genera of clumping bamboos hardy to Zone 7 Chusquea, Borinda, etc.).

LOL, everyone in zones under 7 wanna plant quick growing runners, and growers 7 plus are looking for the Roundup!

Happy Holidays!

i would prefer a runner....i have an area that is quickly eroding away and i think bamboo would resolve the issue

Listings of any Borinda or Chusquea species being hardy to USDA 7 are probably based on the plants freezing to the ground between 0F and 10F.

Where soil is being lost built solutions like drains or walls are required. Plants placed in soil that is on the move can't grow fast enough to do anything about it. In fact, when a slippage is big enough the trees (and boulders) all go down the hill with the soil, no matter how big the trees are and how long they have been there.

viper114-

You can grow bamboo in your Zone if you choose the right species. However, the challenge you are raising about erosion is a little more complicated. Bamboo, even runners and even in more temperate climates than yours, will take a couple of years before they send out significant root structure. So, if you need to solve a major erosion problem and do it soon, bamboo will not magically fix things right away. Sorry to have to tell you this, but I didn't want you to labor under unrealistic expectations.

Fargesia Rufa will grow in your zone without winter protection, but it is a clumper and does not spread very fast. Even runners here in my climate take a few years to cover a large area and for erosion, the plants would probably erode away with the soil before they did any erosion control. Planting several plants and using a ground mesh in the meantime may help.

Years ago, after a lot of research, I tried Phyllo. nuda in zone 5a. It seemed like the orneriest bamboo I could get. I thought its canes might survive the winter but they don't. Sometimes the canes keep some green during the winter but die quickly after the weather starts to warm up for Spring. A couple years ago the plant started to run a bit. I haven't put in a barrier.

Last year I planted a Fargesia Rufa in a partly shaded spot. It survives the winter. I trimmed the dead canes last Spring.

I want to find a bamboo that is tough enough to stay green all winter but I doubt one exists.

Unfortunately, I don't think you will find a bamboo that will stay green all year in you area until we have several more decades of global warming :-)