On 5 Jun 2003 22:31:44 -0700, Chris wrote:

Three feet is plenty. Have you considered P. Aurea? It grows in a
dense hedge from 15-25' in height, it is evergreen and it is cheap.
It is about as cold hardy as P. Bissetti (per the documentation.. I've
never tested either of them for cold hardiness). How cold does it get
in your area??

Hi Chris
P.aurea doesn't do very well here (zone 7), it survives (depends on
which subspecies you have choosen) but has damages every winter, may
even freeze down while P.bissetii is one of the best in our climate.

The reason may be that we often have cold winter nights (-10,
sometines -15 Celsius) without snow combined with dry continental
winds and sunny, warm winter days. This is more hassling to bamboo
than -20 Celsius WITH snow.

So don't rely on the temperature alone, there are some other important
points to watch.

Stefan