Bamboo is hardy, so needs no special treatment.

hi sheilabud many thanks

Sorry to disagree a bit. *SOME* bamboos are hardy. Which one have you got? And where are you exactly?

hi sarraceniac i live in cambrigeshire and the bamboo is called phyllostachys spectabilis is a yellow groove bamboo many thanks

You are the lucky one. This is not only a gorgeous looking bamboo but is also very hardy. I have lost two different bamboos this winter I think. My Phyllostachis aurea is fine but I think I lost its near relative the P. aureosulcata which is very tall and graceful plus a dwarf Pleioblastus which isn't very impressive but grows nicely in a pot. One or the other may come back though they are both supposed to be OK to USDA zone 7 and I am in zone 8 equivalent (about the same as Cambridgeshire 'cos we're on the coast) but this has been one heck of a winter. Yours is supposed to be OK to zone 5b though so you should be fine.