Hello,
I am working on a research project on growing bamboo for structural usage on Leslie Spit. I identified Phyllostachys Bambusoides (Madake) and Phyllostachys Edulis (Moso) as the two bamboo species I would like to suggest growing on the Spit. I was wondering how these two bamboo species would fair if grown in a plot of land unprotected from the wind. And if these bamboo species would still thrive during an extreme cold-weather event, or need some sort of winter protection such as a greenhouse, etc.
Thank you very much.
Chris
Hi Chris – Unfortunately, neither of the bamboo species you selected will survive our Toronto winters. Many species of bamboo do well in Canada although they are never as lush or as tall as in their native homes – except in British Columbia. The resources I found were also all from BC and neighbouring Oregon.
Bamboo Botanicals in BC is a private collection of bamboo dedicated to the appreciation, education and promotion of bamboo. They have information on many species of bamboo (links to your two selections below). They list Phyllostachys bambusoides as hardy to hardiness zone 8 and Phyllostachys edulis as hardy to zone 7. Toronto is a hardiness zone 6 so only plants with a zone of 6 or less will withstand our winters outdoors. (Note if you are looking at this site that they are using US hardiness zones. To convert to Canadian zones, add 1.) If you’d like to learn more about hardiness zones, I’ve included a link below to an earlier posting on our site on this topic.
Bamboo Garden, a bamboo nursery in Oregon advises that any bamboo over 15 feet should be staked or guyed in it’s first year until the root mass is sufficient to protect the stalk from wind. Both of your selections are much taller than 15 feet. I’ve included a link below to the bamboo care information on their site.
Good luck with your research.
http://www.bamboobotanicals.ca/html/bamboo-species/phyllostachys-bambusoides.html
http://www.bamboobotanicals.ca/html/bamboo-species/phyllostachys-edulis-moso.html