Do you know what species it is?

Can we see photos?

As someone who has grown about 100 different species of bamboo over the last 20+ years, and had 6 of them flower, I am not optimistic about your hedge's chance of survival. There are a few species that are said to be in pretty continuous flowering and survive, but I've never seen this. I've tried everything from fertilizer, to digging out the ones that are looking to the worst, to cutting them back to the ground. Unfortunately, I have never had any success in curing this problem, or reviving a flowering bamboo. The best I was able to do was collect some seeds and start a couple of them over, but this takes years. I wish I could be more positive, but that has been my experience.

Thank you, it's helpful to be realistic. They are not continuous flowering kind, this is the first time I've seen this is a dozen years. As it doesn't seem like there's any hope for revival I won't feel pressured to act quickly then. What will happen if I just leave them in their flowering state? They still provide a screen, though brown instead of green. I imagine that if they are going to die completely it'll be much easier to deal with the roots once they are truly dead? I'm wondering if this is happening across the whole genetic lineage or just me? I'm trying to re-frame my perspective on this to a once in a lifetime amazing event, instead of one the for-tells plague and economic destruction.

First of all, I am sorry. I was so intrigued I googled it last night. Most of the posts are about containing it. It seems that although it doesn't do it often, every plant from the same genetic plant flowers at the same time no matter where it is in the world. Here is the article I read.

https://www.amusingplanet.com/2015/09/the-mysterious-phenomenon-of-bamboo.html

Maybe since you have two kinds, they both won't flower Yes, I would just leave them and enjoy, although it seems that in India at least, there is a rat problem when they eat the fruit.

You can let it be. It will just look shabby until you cut it down. Every flowering I've experienced has happened to other people in different locations over a several year period, so it's not a result of one's unique bad luck or doing something wrong. I skimmed that article that Sherry linked to, and was surprised at the reference to rats being attracted to the seeds. I'm not disputing it could happen in some parts of the world, but I've never had that problem.

By the way, if you collect the seeds, they're ready when you can shake a culm and they fall to the ground. The easiest way to collect in quantity is to put a tarp or sheet on the ground beneath the culms before you shake them. Sometimes the seed I've collected was not viable, and sometimes it was: I've had anywhere from 0-95% germination rates. It's good to start it within 3 months as it loses viability quickly.

Thank you for the advice. I will consider these the "golden years" for my bamboo and just keep pruning it up till it's not longer a helpful screen and perhaps dig up small areas to plant other things to get going before I cut it totally down. It has done such a wonderfully valuable service to me, I will miss it. My cat is a good mouser and I'll let her handle any rats that are attracted to the food source. After all, it's not an entire forest of flowering bamboo, just a hedge. How long does it take the seedlings to become plants? say 6 feet tall? Thank you again.

Unfortunately, it would take seedlings at least 5 years to get 6' tall. If it were me, I'd progressively dig out the worst ones and replace with potted bamboo from a nursery. It waould be a good idea to plant more than one species.

That's a great idea, multiple species will not only look cool and be diversified but hedge against future seed situations.

When a species reaches the end of its life cycle, it will flower and produce seeds. When a bamboo flowers profusely, it expends a tremendous amount of energy in the production of flowers and seeds. The bamboo is stressed to the point of death as a result of the mass flowering.