How tall bamboo plants grow

Bamboo plants are a popular choice for landscaping and gardening in the UK, as they are hardy, fast-growing, and versatile. However, many people are curious about how tall bamboo plants can grow in the UK, and whether they will be able to accommodate them in their gardens.

Height of bamboo plants

The height of bamboo plants depends on a variety of factors, including the species of bamboo, the growing conditions, and the amount of maintenance provided. 

In general, tall bamboo plants can grow anywhere from 6 metres feet to over 20 metres tall in the UK. However, most bamboo species grown in the UK will typically reach heights of between 6 and 10 metres.

Tall bamboo plants in the UK

One of the most popular bamboo species grown in the UK is Phyllostachys bambusoides, also known as the "Golden Bamboo". This species can grow up to 20 metres tall, with sturdy, straight canes that are typically about 5 centimetres in diameter. 

Another popular tall bamboo is Phyllostachys aurea, also known as the "Fishpole Bamboo". This species can grow 6 - 10 metres tall, and its canes are slightly thinner than those of the Golden Bamboo.

Another tall bamboo worth the mention is Bambusa multiplex, also known as the "Hedge Bamboo or Alphonse Karr Bamboo" which can grow to 10 metres tall, and is known for its tight clumping habit, making it a great choice for hedging or screening.

Check out our comprehensive collection of tall bamboo plants that grow in the UK - click here

Bamboo plants grow taller in warmer climates

Bamboo plants will grow much taller in warmer climates, such as in Southern China and Southeast Asia where they are native. 

In the UK, bamboo plants will typically grow more slowly, and will not reach their full potential in terms of height. 

However, this can be a benefit for gardeners who want to keep their bamboo plants at a manageable size.

Control bamboo height

To promote healthy growth and prevent your bamboo from getting too tall, it is important to provide adequate sunlight, water, and nutrients to your plants. 

Bamboo plants prefer well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter, and they should be fertilised regularly with a balanced, slow-release fertiliser. Additionally, bamboo plants should be pruned regularly to remove old, yellowing canes, and to encourage new growth.

In closure

Bamboo plants can grow to a wide range of heights in the UK, depending on the species, the growing conditions, and the amount of maintenance provided. 

The most common species grown in the UK will typically reach heights of between 20 and 40 feet, and with proper care, they can make a beautiful and unique addition to any garden. 

However, it is important to consider the potential height of your bamboo plants before planting them, and to be prepared to prune and maintain them as needed to keep them at a manageable size.

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.

Evergreen shade-loving plants like bamboo

There are many evergreen plants for shade, some are deciduous and others are evergreen. Only a few grow best in deep to light-shaded areas.

In this article, you will find out about the 5 popular evergreen, shade-living plants that thrive in pots and in the garden.

5 shade-loving popular plants in the UK and US plants 

How to grow evergreen shade plants – pots or garden?

Some shade-loving plants like the bamboo plants will thrive in pots and in the garden. However, not all the shrubs that grow well in shade will thrive in pots. 

The flowering shrubs have taproots that grow deep into the soil. This means that they do not like to be contained within pots and containers. 

Unless, of course, they grow in large planters and containers where there is plenty of rooting space. 

Evergreen plants for shade like bamboos

To put this article in perspective, here are some uses of the 5 shade-loving plants and suggestions for growing them.

The 5 Best Evergreen Shade Plants:

• Bamboo plants,
• Sarcococca,
• Buddleia,
• Viburnum tinus and
• Ceanothus.

Read about the 5 plants and their features: 5 shade-loving popular plants

Shade-loving plants for pots

The shade-loving shrubs, unfortunately, will not do well in pots. They have taproots and like to root freely.

They will not do well in contained spaces like the pot, planters and containers. 

If you want to grow a plant in a pot and put it in a deeply shaded area, bamboo is a fantastic option.

Shaded hedge plants

There are many hedge plants, some are deciduous whereas others are evergreen like the 5 plants featured in this article.

The 3 best plants for hedging a shaded area are:

•  Bamboo,
• Viburnum tinus and
• Ceanothus.

Hardy plants/shrubs for shade

Most evergreen plants are hardy, which means that they can tolerate frost and ice during the winter.

The 5 hardiest evergreen plants are:

• Bamboo,
• Sarcococca,
• Buddleia,
• Viburnum tinus and
• Ceanothus.

Note that some buddleia cultivars are semi-evergreen or deciduous.

Check the plant description carefully when buying online or in-store.

Best garden plants for ground cover plants

The evergreen shrubs may not be the best ground cover, but they will require pruning to keep them in shape. These shrubs are beautiful ground covers when they are in full bloom.

The small Chinese Dwarf bamboos and variegated bamboos are best for evergreen ground covers. You can mix and match them to great effect. 

The 3 best ground cover plants are:

• Bamboo plants (Sasa nopponica),
• Sarcococca and
• Viburnum tinus.

Where to buy the evergreen plants for shade?

The 5 shade-loving plants in this article thrive under the covers of trees and buildings, where other plants tend to struggle to grow. 

They are also fantastic ground covers. You can buy these plants online from YouGarden or Crocus.

Shade-loving evergreen hedging plants

In addition to the 5 shade-loving plants for pots and gardens listed in this article, here are the top 6 hedging plants that thrive in shade. They have tightly packed leaves that last all year round. 

The groundcover, shade-login plants mentioned in this article, bamboo is the only grass variety among the fast-growing evergreen hedging plant. 

Also, the beech tree is deciduous. Read more about the 6 common hedging plants we covered in an earlier article here.

The 5 evergreen shade-loving plants for pots and gardens are Bamboo, Sarcococca, Buddleia, Viburnum tinus and Ceanothus.

Bamboo is well-known for being the fastest growing plant. And, the shrubs are popular for their scented flowers and contrasting colours, best for attracting bees and butterflies. 

We hope this article gives you some ideas about the evergreen plants for shade. Check out our website (GardenBambooPlants.Com) for more information in the common bamboo plants that grow in the in UK.

How do bamboo plants grow and how long they live

Bamboo plants are either runners or clumpers. The running bamboos are invasive and should be planted within barriers or in pots. Clumping bamboos are exotic plants that are not invasive. Both bamboo types can thrive for many years in the garden, but how long do they really live? 

This article provides the insight into growth behaviour of bamboo plants and how long a bamboo grove can survive.

Check out an extended version of this article - how fast bamboo plants grow and how far they spread.

How do bamboo plants grow?

The growth behaviour of running and clumping bamboo plants, generally, determines how long they live. Whether in the garden or in pots they will grow in the same way, nonetheless.

Bamboo plants will give out new shoots every year in spring. These new shoots will be bigger in size and longer than the previous year’s shoots. 

Every year you’ll have a bigger and longer bamboo plant, and the bamboo grove will also increase in size. In retrospect, the bamboo shoots do not expand in size as the trees and shrubs do. The size of the new shoot remains the same until it thins out at the top at maximum height. 

A bamboo plant will reach its matured height anytime between 5 and 10 years depending on the variety. 

The common bamboos in the UK often reach their maximum heights (and produce full-size shoots) within 5 years. So, every year you’ll have a longer plant and bigger shoot as your bamboo grove takes shape.

How long do bamboo plants live?’

There are many different types of bamboo plants from the dwarf varieties to the giant timber bamboo plants. They can live for many years in the garden. Some estimation puts them between 30 – 50 years, but they can live longer.

As mentioned, bamboo groves re-generate by putting new shoots out every year. This growth behaviour means that they can thrive for much longer than anticipated.

To put it in perspective, a single bamboo shoot will mature within 5 - 7 years and live for about 10 - 15 years within a bamboo grove. It will produce new shoots, resulting in an expanding bamboo grove.

This re-generative growth pattern means that bamboo plants can live and thrive for many years after they are planted.

However, bamboo plants that grow in pots and barriers do not last longer than those grown in open spaces. They’ll struggle to survive in the contained spaces.

 

Bamboo plants can last up to 30 years, and bamboo groves can last longer

Life expectancy of common bamboo plants

The growth and regenerative behaviours of bamboo plants, mentioned earlier, are important factors that determine the life expectancy of bamboo plants.

The table shows the general life expectancy of a garden bamboo plant in the garden or in pots and containers.

Bamboo	Grow medium	Maturity
Shoot	Garden	6 – 12 months to mature
Plant	Garden	5 - 7 years to mature (requires selective pruning)
Grove	Garden	30 – 50 years
Shoot	Outdoor Pot	3 - 6 months to mature
Plant	Outdoor Pot	2 - 5 years (requires selective pruning)
Grove	Outdoor Pot	5 – 10 years (requires repotting)

The Giant Timber Bamboo plants take up to 7 years to mature and live for as long as 50 years in their natural environment. They are massive plants which reach above 10 metres in height.

In the UK, you can see the Giant Timber Bamboo in full growth at the Kew Garden Palm House.

If you want to find out about the running and clumping bamboo plants, follow these links:

• Clumping bamboo collections.
• Running bamboo collections.

Bamboo plants vs bamboo grove

How long bamboo plants last depend on the growth of the individual plants and the regenerative behaviour of the plants in the grove. 

Some bamboo plants will live in the soil until the condition is right before they put out new shoots. Others will spread pretty quickly.

Generally, the common bamboo plants that grow in the UK, US and other cooler regions will last for 30 – 50 years. And, they will continue to grow as long as the condition is right.

How to look after tall tomato plants

Tomato plants are thought to be ‘annuals’ as they grow outdoors only in spring and summer. But they are in fact short-lived ‘perennials’ that bear flowers and fruits multiple times throughout the year in their natural (tropical) settings.

Completed the tomato plants' bamboo stakes...now waiting for the plants to grow. 🍅🍅🍅

The video shows how to look after tomato plants - staking pruning, watering and feeding them for a healthy harvest.

Bamboo sticks for tall tomato plants

Tomato plants will need support as they grow taller.

Bamboo sticks are slim and strong which is why they are the best stakes for tomato plants. They do not take up a lot of space, flexible and bendable. Easy to cut and tie together to make frames. Many gardeners use bamboo sticks to make tomato trellis and support the plants. They are also perfect for plants in patio grow bags, pots and containers, and in the garden.

The plants will love it.

Find out about the uses of bamboo sticks & what bamboo plant is best for bamboo sticks.

The first sign of tomato flowers

Use Cornish Cabbage Plant as garden ropes

Cordyline australis (Cornish Cabbage Plant) leaves are lovely garden ropes. You can use them to tie the tall tomato plants and stakes.

If you have a Cordyline australis plant in the garden, you can use the leaf as an alternative to garden rope.

Grow tomato plants in a well-drained and nutrient-rich soil.

Keep them well-watered during the hot months.

Use bamboo sticks as stakes to support the tall tomato plants.