Fargesia scabrida

Fargesia scabrida 'Silver Dragon' is a selection found at Bamboo Garden Nursery in Oregon. with lightly variegated foliage, most apparent in spring and fading in summer. Photo taken at Bamboo Garden Nursery.

Bamboo gets a bad reputation, mostly from lack of understanding how to manage the spread of the running types. But what about the many wonderful clumping varieties? Many exciting hardy clumping bamboos have begun filtering into the nursery trade in the past two decades or so, and even more have been discovered and are still being trialed or propagated to sufficient quantity to release to the public. Some of the most promising are being grown in Europe and are still awaiting importation, or were only recently imported, to the United States.

Fargesia scabrida is one of the older of these introductions, having been first described in the 1970's by Professor Yi of Chendu Forestry College in China. It didn't enter the western world until 1997, when it was sent to Kimmei Nursery in Holland. I'm not sure when it first came to the U.S., but it only started showing up in general nurseries and garden centers sometime in the last 10 years, and still isn't especially common, though specialty bamboo nurseries rightfully sing its praises.

Beautiful lustrous green foliage in a graceful, feathery arrangement makes this one of the most ornamental clumping bamboos. Photo taken at Bamboo Gardens Nursery.

I acquired my plant in trade in fall of 2017. I planted it in the mesic zone of my garden, with several hours of morning sun and tall trees shading it from the south and west but providing open shade. The soil is heavy, with lots of clay, and the area gets quite soggy in winter due to the slope of the property. The bed is somewhat raised and I mixed in ample compost when planting the bamboo, so it has somewhat better drainage than the surrounding lawn. The small division sent up 5 or 6 culms the following spring. The next year it had 2 dozen new shoots! I can't wait to see what it does this year!

This year, the first shoot appeared at the end of January, over a month earlier than last year. That first shoot didn't do much, though, just sitting with its nose poking from the soil. Others gradually joined it and now they are very slowly beginning to grow. We'll need temperatures reliably in the 60s with nights above freezing for them to grow with any speed. Hopefully the snow and freezing cold the weekend of March 14th was our last bout of winter weather.

New shoots popping up in my own garden, awaiting warmer weather to begin growing in earnest.

This is a rewardingly vigorous bamboo, producing many new culms and gaining 1 to 3 feet per year in height, but it is a true clumper (not a runner that grows like a clumper in cool summer climates or adverse conditions). The rhizome necks of this species are longer than those of many other Fargesia, up to about 6 inches. This gives it a more open, graceful appearance, though it will still grow quite densely in sun.

A mature specimen growing in virtually full sun at Bamboo Garden Nursery in Oregon, displaying a denser, more upright habit.

The ability to tolerate full sun, at least in cooler summer climates like northern Europe and much of the Pacific Northwest, makes this bamboo more adaptable than most Fargesia. Fargesia dracocephala 'Rufa' and the various forms of F. robusta also tolerate sun well, though all prefer some afternoon shade. This allows gardeners who don't have enough shade for other clumpers to grow bamboo, without worrying about containment as would be the case with a Phyllostachys or other running bamboo.

A specimen growing in more shade at Bamboo Garden Nursery, displaying more open culm spacing and orange culm sheaths.

In full sun, this is a very upright plant. In shade, it becomes more open and weeping, though still more upright than many Fargesia. I find it to be one of the most beautiful and graceful hardy clumpers in partial shade. It's open and airy enough that it looks like bamboo, rather than a haystack on stilts like some Fargesia. It could also be made more open with a bit of judicious culm thinning. The narrow, glossy leaves are a rich shade of green and arranged gracefully on the branches.

Growing in dappled shade at Bamboo Garden Nursery, this specimen has a more open, arching habit.

The colorful culms make this one of the most outstanding hardy clumping bamboos. New shoots emerge with rusty orange culm sheaths, from which the culms emerge in contrasting colors in a range of steel blue to lavender to indigo. The colors vary and are most intense in the cool spring and fall rains.

New culms in my garden last year, after branching.

The blue color lasts into fall, and new shoots can emerge in summer, too. The culms age to a blue-green as the orange sheaths peel away.

At Bamboo Garden Nursery

At Bamboo Garden Nursery

Older culms fade to a range of olive greens before aging eventually to a ghostly grey. 

This may be one of the closest things to a "blue" bamboo in climates that get colder than 10-15F in winter.

At Bamboo Garden Nursery

The stats on Fargesia scabrida
Height: average 12-14', maybe a bit taller
Culm diameter: 0.5-0.75"
Width: up to 20' eventually (but can be kept as narrow as 3' with top and rhizome pruning)
Cold hardiness: 0F (some sources say -5F)

As with most bamboo, scabrida will grow to its full potential with rich soil and regular watering, but it will tolerate much less. It has proven quite drought tolerant in the Pacific Northwest in afternoon or filtered shade. While the clump can become quite broad, it can be kept smaller with annual rhizome pruning, and you'll never have to worry about it suddenly popping up 20, or even 2, feet away from the edge of the main clump if you miss a rhizome while pruning. More upright than most Fargesia, it can still arch a bit. If you want to maintain a more upright, narrow form, you can easily perform some top pruning, as I demonstrated with my Fargesia dracocephala 'Rufa'.

Fargesia scabrida is one of my favorite clumping bamboos and, I think, one of the best clumping bamboos for the average home gardener in the Pacific Northwest. Be warned, though: it may cause a reduction in the fear and paranoia that tends to surround this incredibly useful and beautiful, yet misunderstood, group of plants. You may even want more!

Parting shot of the specimen in shade at Bamboo Garden Nursery.

I hope everyone is staying safe and calm in the face of our current circumstances with the corona virus. My lack of posts recently has been in part caused by my anxiety over this. I've tried writing philosophical posts about gardening as therapy, or taking lessons on emotional resiliency from nature, but the concepts have seemed to big and the stress has made my motivation too low. I will do my best to continue weekly posts, but I am, after all, only human.

Please heed expert advice by washing your hands thoroughly, not touching your face, and maintaining a physical distance from other people of at least 6 feet. Stay calm and don't give in to panic buying and hoarding. Leave masks and gloves for people like medical professionals, police, first responders, and individuals with conditions like asthma or compromised immune systems that make them more susceptible. As of yet, there is no disruption to the supply of food and household goods (yes, even toilet paper) except for the people buying more than they can use and hoarding it. This means store employees are working more to keep shelves stocked, instead of taking time off to reduce their exposure, and some individuals who need certain items, or can only afford certain items, can't get them. I know this is a scary time, but we can't forget to consider those around us, even as we must keep our distance from them. Be smart, take logical precautions, but don't give in to panic.