Black Bamboo Question

Hi and welcome to GoY.
I dont grow it but my RHS book says frost tender-frost hardy [ie will cope with temps around 0 centigrade and perhaps just below if in a sheltered spot.
fertile, humus rich, moist but well drained soil in partial shade. shelter from cold drying winds. young shoots susceptible to slug damage.

hope this helps.

like the avatar too.

Not this particular Chimonobambusa, but it seems, like the rest of them, it has running rhizomes, particularly in milder areas. Certainly a hardy plant. Note: I see that Seaburn's info says its tender - that's doesnt correspond with the info I found on line, but I'd go with the RHS's information.

Thanks a lot for the very fast replies!
I bought the plant only recently and was very pleased with it.It does seem very healthy and has grown a few inches since i planted it out nearly three weeks ago although it is in a somewhat un-sheltered position.The only problem i had was that the care instructions for the specimen were in German...and i can't read German ^.^ I took Latin at school !
So any info i can get on it is truly appreciated.

The avatar and the username are quite infamous among wargaming forums,but i have been spending far more time in the garden this year,my hobbies seem to keep "branching" out...so to speak.
Thanks again...Lordroth

I found this a good information site http://www.blackbamboo.co.uk/growingbamboo.php

there are lots on the web.

I have black bamboo, when we moved in there was a patch in the corner of the garden, it looks and sounds (in the wind) beautiful and is great for privacy. But it is very invasive as a running bamboo, so please follow the instructions on protecting the rest of your garden.

Ours was sunk into an area that had barrier material and wood around it, (might be in my photos somewhere) but the wood rotted and the barrier broke down and it was sprouting up everywhere this year. We transplanted some into pots this summer and hacked up the rest. They are very hardy and very difficult to kill.. we are now using roundup for the off shoots. It is a nightmare to get up once it establishes...

Thank you so much for the web address Heidib,i have had an excellent mornings worth of reading on there.
I have actually planted it in a very large 80 litre toughened rubber/plastic container at the moment which when it eventualy grows on a bit and bushes out will be sunk into the ground to help contain it.
It will hopefully be a very dramatic backdrop to the two 8ft purple slate monoliths i am planning to erect in front of it....just hope my back is up to it ^.^
Lordroth

sounds fantastic, cant wait for the photos when its done... I wasn;t sure if my 'transplants' died, they looked very sad.. but they have shot up and are looking great, in just 3 months! Purple slate is beautiful, our millennium centre in Cardiff is layered with it, very dramatic