Hi all,

We recently moved to suburban Philadelphia (zone 6 on the cusp of 7) from a zone 4 on the cusp of 3 climate, and I find that I have a glorious stand of bamboo at the back of our property.

It is beautifully dark evergreen, and it is currently waving at me in the frigid breeze surrounded by a field of snow as I look out one of the rear windows of our 284-year-old stone colonial home!

I was raised around bamboo (in Hawaii and the Philippine Islands), so had no idea that a cold hardy variety even existed. I am a landscape architect and would like to tend to it's cultural requirements. However, I have not seen any available in local nurserys (though I do see other stands of bamboo around this area) and have not consulted a nurseryman yet, but I have looked through all of my horticulture plant identification "keys" to find only "woody plants" and perennials.

Do any of you have any suggestions as to variety/cultivar, or how I can find out how to take care of it?

Best regards,
David Randles Gilbertson, ASLA
416 W. Laurel Ave.
Cheltenham, PA 19012-2034
(215) 379-1047