Tall bamboo plants in the UK

Bamboos are amazing plants, they come in different sizes, heights and colours. 

Some are clumping whereas others are running. In particular, tall bamboo plants are best for privacy screening. 

Let’s take a look at the 10 tall bamboo plants for sale in the UK and where you can get them.

 

10 tall bamboo plants – all you need to know

Here at GardenBambooPlants.Com, we provide information about running and clumping bamboo. They are available for free. 

We summarised the information and make it easy for our visitors to select the right bamboo. 

You can identify the uses, spread, colour, height and details of the tall bamboos that grow in the UK. 

Click on the image to find out more about the 10 tall bamboos we featured here.

 

Tall Bamboo Plants for Sale in the UK

Buy tall bamboo plants online from the UK home and garden shops. 

We are affiliate partners with renowned UK suppliers of bamboo plants and products. They deliver the highest quality plants that are ready for planting upon arrival.

Our relationship with the top UK bamboo sellers enables us to find the bamboos that you'll love. 

We refer you straight to the sales page where you can make your buy safely and securely. 

Rest assured that when you buy tall bamboo plants online, you get the best service they offer to customers.

How tall do bamboos grow?

Bamboo plants come in different heights. The Fargesia clumping bamboos are shorter than the Phyllostachys running bamboos. 

The common bamboos that grow in the UK range from 0.5 metres to 15 metres such as the Dwarf Fargesia bamboos and Chinese bamboos, respectively. 

Also, the giant bamboo (Gigantochloa verticillate) growing inside the Kew Garden Palm House is 20 metres tall, they had to snip the top off. So, there is a range of heights. 

Here at GardenBambooPlants.Com, we classify the bamboo collections into the following categories:

• Tall bamboos (6 metres+).
• Medium bamboos (4 – 6 metres).
• Small bamboos (0.5 – 4 metres).

Follow the links for more information.

How to use tall bamboo plants for screening

Some tall bamboo plants are running whereas others are clumping. They are perfect for tall privacy screens. They are undemanding plants and will grow well in the UK climate. 

The image from Kew Royal Botanical Garden shows the tall natural screen, contrasting perfectly with the plants at the front. 

Other uses include landscaping, potting plants or adding a unique focal point to your garden.

Grow bamboo, enjoy the evergreen foliage

Bamboo plants are becoming a popular oriental plant and it’s easy to see why. They are fast-growing plants, undemanding and provide the evergreen cover all year round. 

You can use bamboo roots/rhizome barriers or grow them in pots to stop them from invading other spaces. 

Here is the best advice on how to grow bamboo plants, and provide the right care and maintenance.

We hope that this article points you in the right direction, where you can find the best tall bamboo plants.

Cost-effective ways to build bamboo root barriers

There are cheap ways to build bamboo root barriers and stop bamboo rhizomes from spreading. Most of them will require genuine effort.

Planning before planting bamboo is the most effective way to control bamboo. In this article, you’ll discover the 5 effective and cost-efficient ways to stop the running bamboo plants from spreading.

Buy bamboo root barrier: B&Q and YouGarden.

Planning before planting bamboo

This may sound too much. However, it requires a bit of forethought about how far the bamboo will grow. The bamboo plants have the average area they are likely to cover at maturity. 

Here is an example of the features of the Black Bamboo Nigra. It will give you an idea about the bamboo you are planting. 

When it comes to growing running bamboo, prevention is better than cure. So, the long-term maintenance plans and suggestions below will help you to grow and enjoy bamboo screens and hedges.

Inheriting bamboo plants – what to do

The argument for having a maintenance plan prior to growing bamboo does not hold strong if you inherited bamboo. 

In fact, it can be frustrating given the amount of work you need to do to remove bamboo or stop it from spreading. It can also be a costly exercise. 

But, there are quick hacks for keeping the bamboo plants under control. It takes only a couple of hours per year. You will need the tools for maintaining the bamboo plants.

5 cost-effective ways to stop bamboo from spreading

1. Use a bamboo root barrier when planting bamboo

Using a rubber root barrier is a common method for stopping bamboo rhizomes from spreading. It is also the most flexible way to grow bamboo plants because you can grow them in any direction.

The bamboo root barriers are great when growing bamboo along the boundary, near built areas and anywhere near the house. 

Always put in a root barrier prior to planting the running bamboo. It will lessen the maintenance work as the bamboo grows. This article has more information on bamboo root barriers and how to use them.

2. Grow bamboo in heavy-duty pots

The easiest method to stop bamboo from spreading is to plant it in a pot. The roots are pot-bound and will not spread. They are great pot plants for patios, balconies and any outdoor spaces.

Most of them can be used as natural privacy screens or windbreaks. The heady-duty rubber pots are best as they are strong. If you need more information on selecting pots for planting bamboo plants, check out this article.

3. Grow bamboo in a raised bed

This is a less common way of containing bamboo plants, but it can be pretty effective when done right. You can build an elevated raised bed from any material, yet brick raised beds are best.

Understandably, the bamboo rhizomes do not grow deep into the soil. 

A raised bed of about 50 cm is ideal for spotting any shoots that are creeping out the allotted space. The elevated beds are a nice way to grow bamboo as a centrepiece or as an individual plant.

4. Dig a trench around the perimeter of an existing bamboo

Making a trench is a cost-effective method, especially when you have an overgrown plant. 

However, it will require close supervision, especially in spring when the shoot and rhizome growths are prominent. 

You will have to physically check for new growths and cut them off. It is a simple yet effective way to stop bamboo from spreading. 

You should dig about a 30 cm perimeter around the plant as the bamboo roots, unlike plants, do not have a tap root that grows deep. The rhizomes are at the top layer of the soil and easy to spot as they grow over the trench. 

Maintain the trench once or twice a year, ideally at the beginning of spring and at the end of summer.

5. Use patio slabs, metal sheets or heavy-duty rubber materials as rhizome barriers

Alternatives to rubber root barriers are patio slabs, heavy-duty plastics or metal sheets.

They work pretty good alternatives to the root barriers that you often have around the house or in the garden. 

 You should dig a trench 30 – 50 cm deep and lay them along with it. It works perfectly every time.

We’ve done that here (YouTube video - watch and subscribe).

Where to buy bamboo root barriers?

You can use any of the methods for containing bamboo plants and stopping them from invading the garden or the neighbour’s side. 

Always use a bamboo root barrier when growing the running bamboo plants. 

Here are some UK shops where you can get the bamboo root barrier: B&Q and YouGarden.

 

Benefits of growing bamboo plants

Bamboo plants are problematic because they tend to spread. However, there are two types of bamboo plants – running bamboo and clumping bamboo plants. 

The running bamboo spreads and that is why growers should use root barriers when growing it. Yet both types of bamboo plants have many benefits. 

They are also resilient plants that they can grow in shade or on tough soil. They are evergreen which means you will enjoy the natural greenery all year round. 

The two most common features of bamboo are that its fast-growing and also long-lasting. They come in all sizes, shapes, colours and heights. Fit for any purpose.

So, if you want a quick screen to cover any unsightly features in the garden, bamboo is the go-to plant.

Stop bamboo from spreading

Regardless of whether you've inherited bamboo or want to grow a new plant, these 5 ways of building bamboo barriers will help you. 

Always build bamboo rhizome barriers when growing the running bamboo plants. 

Check out the complete bamboo care and maintenance guides on GardenBambooPlants.com.

Screening bamboo plants in Pots

Bamboo plants are perennial evergreen grass. They add an oriental touch to the garden all year round. 

Bamboo screens are great for garden designs and landscaping. Here is a list of the best screening bamboo plants that come in pots.

Running vs. clumping bamboo plants

The amazing bamboos come in two main forms: running and clump-forming. They thrive in the UK climate. 

They are great for privacy screening, hedging, growing in pots and containers, or adding a unique focal point to your garden.

Check out the list of top UK Home & Garden suppliers to buy bamboo plants for screening

Clump-forming bamboo plants for screen

The dense evergreen foliage of clump-forming bamboo plants provides the best natural privacy screens for homes and gardens in the UK.

The Fargesias, especially the Umbrella Bamboo, are fantastic screening plants. 

They come in large heavy pots. But, you can get them in smaller pots that are easily delivered to you. Also, it is important to pick the right bamboo for the privacy screen.

The medium to large bamboo is best for screening or partitioning sections of gardens. 

Here are two that are better suited for privacy screens.

Seabreeze bamboo Bambusa Malingensis: 

The Seabreeze Bamboo (Bambusa Malingensis) is medium-large sized and is the popular bamboo for privacy fences and screens. 

Seabreeze bamboos are effective screens because they have lots of secondary branches with thick foliage from bottom to top.

Slender-clump bamboo Textilis Gracilis: 

Also called Bambusa Textilis Gracilis, it is the best bamboo plant for hedges and privacy screening. 

This bamboo is popular fence screening bamboo or hedging bamboo plants.

YouGarden UK has a great collection of medium to large bamboos. Check out the Running and Clumping bamboos for sale in the UK.

 Buy clumping bamboo in pots

Clump-forming bamboo plants grow slowly and do not spread quickly like running bamboo. 

That's because the clumping bamboo roots are confined to the base of the plant, forming a clump. Hence, they are called the 'clump-forming' bamboo plants.

You can buy clumping bamboo in pots online or at your local garden centre.

Here are the best clump-forming bamboo plants for screening.

Umbrella bamboo Simba: 

The Fargesia murielae Simba is a tough and small bamboo plant. 'Simba' is an ornamental clump-forming bamboo that is best for smaller gardens, pots and containers.

Winter Joy: 

The Fargesia murielae ‘Winter Joy’ is a hybrid bamboo, cross between ‘Simba’ and ‘Dwarf Fountain’ Umbrella Bamboos. 

It has a distinct dark green culm (stem) with red overlays. 

Winter joy is hardy, evergreen and non-invasive. Best for growing in the garden, or in pots and containers.

At GBP blog, we list over 20 clumping bamboo plants, check out the archive here.

Tall bamboo screen for pots and gardens

Some varieties of Clump-forming bamboo plants are ideal for creating a beautiful centrepiece in your garden, the rhizomes (roots) grow in compact non-invasive clusters around the parent plant.

There are as many as 10,000 varieties and 1,700 varieties growing in the UK.

According to our research, bamboo plants with black and yellow stems are popular screens in the UK.

Black Bamboo UK: 

The black stemmed Phyllostachys nigra is a much sought-after feature of bamboo plants in many UK gardens. This bamboo is a beauty.

Yellow Bamboo UK: 

Phyllostachys vivax Aureocaulis is an attractive tall plant. Its spectacular yellow stripe against the green bamboo cane makes it stands out anywhere in the garden, ideal for tall privacy screens.

It is an absolute show-stopper.

Always use a root barrier when growing running bamboo in the garden, so that it does not invade other spaces.

Also, grow the Phyllostachys bamboos in big garden pots before and put them on the patio or in the garden.

Buy screening bamboo plants in Pots

We list the suppliers of bamboo plants, here. 

They are renowned UK Gardens Shops where you can get your bamboo plants, supplies and accessories from.