Where are you located in Columbus? The runners on my sandy loam run wild. I prefer clumpers now. I used to grow almost 100 varieties and I still have some runners, but clumpers are the way to go here. I have henon and vivax but both need quite a bit of space to make a nice grove. I planted bory along a creekbed and it has spread but it never has reached its full size in over 10 years. I also have Moso, black, and a few other runners. Almost ALL Phyllostachys do well in Columbus. Try looking into the Bambusas which are clumpers. Textilis does very well here and can get to 44 feet tall. Oh, and there are several 'wild' groves of bamboo growing in the Columbus area, most of which are golden bamboo aka Fishpole bamboo.

Thanks for the info! The land is on Mentz Road a few miles from I-10. We hope to build a house there this year. What sizes have your henon and vivax reached?

I went to Caldwell nursery in Rosenberg and fell in love with Oldhamii and a few other Bambusas (OK all of the Bambusas). How long does the Textilis take to reach 44ft?

Thanks again.

I know the area well and have many friends in that area. My henon and vivax are both in contained areas with root barriers, about 9'X27' The henon has been there for almost 15 years and is about 30 feet tall and some culms have reached 2 inches in diameter. The vivax a bit larger but only a few canes, it has been choked out by other plants and dry years. Both need more area to reach larger size.

I have been to the Caldwell nursery also. Here, my oldhamii also reached about 44 feet with culms just over 4 inches thick, but it froze back a few years ago and is now still recovering, but I agree, it is a beauty. The textilis is the largest Bambusa that does not freeze here. Chungii gets almost as large, and B. eutuldoides 'Viridivittata' and B. pervaiabilis 'Viridistriatus' are a bit smaller but all three are some of my favorites for color, though not as cold hardy.

My textilis took about 5 years to reach that height in it's original planting spot. Several divisions that I have taken from that plant have never reached but about 32 feet for some reason. I think the original plant has had to outreach neighboring plants for sunlight so it grew larger, but the plant is listed to grow up to 50 feet. Textilis grows more upright and tidy looking(when mature) then many other bambusa other than Oldhamii which grows almost verticle.