‘Barbelatta’ Baby Blue Bamboo

Bambusa chungii ‘Barbelatta’

Plant Details

USDA Cold Hardiness Zones: 9a-11 Find Your Zone

Type: Clumping

Height: 20-25′

Spread: 5-10′

Spacing: 4-5′ for privacy screens

Culm Diameter: 1.5 to 2″

Sun: Full Sun to Part Shade

Soil: Average, moist but well-drained

Growth Rate: Very Fast, faster with more sun

Description

A marvelous and stunningly beautiful non-spreading bamboo that is easy to grow and sure to be a conversation piece in the landscape, ‘Barbelatta’ produces new shoots and culms coated with white powder that turn to baby blue. A fast grower and culm producing machine, you can expect Barbelatta to reach full height of about 20 to 25 feet within just two to three years and a tight and tidy clump of 1.5 inch diameter culms to about 5 feet wide. The tight clump makes it suited to smaller gardens and large containers of 18 inches or more in diameter, or as large as your space will allow. A canopy of attractive dark green leaves in palm-like fans top this beauty off. Barbelatta loves the sun and heat and is hardy to 21°F. Excellent as a specimen or spaced at 5 to 6 feet apart to form an attractive privacy screen.

Note: We grow one crop of the clumping bamboo (Bambusa) varieties annually. Because they will not tolerate temperatures below 15 to 20 degrees F, to avoid damage to plants during transit we begin shipping these in April or May, depending on your location. Click here if you are looking for cold hardy bamboo

Landscape & Other Uses

Containers/Pots: Good, 18″ or more in diameter

Crafts: Excellent

Edible: No

Hedge: Good, tall

Privacy Screen: Excellent

Indoor: Only to overwinter in cold climates – PLEASE SEE: How To Grow Bamboo Plants Indoors

Ornamental: Excellent

Wood Quality: NA

Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 9a, where this Bamboo variety is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.

Growing Preferences

Barbelatta Bamboo is very easy to grow in a moist but well drained soil and full sun to part shade. Faster growth can be expected with more sun. In quick draining soils it’s a good idea to mix in some composted organic matter such as composted cow manure and peat moss with the native soil removed from the planting hole. Mulch well to retain moisture in the soil. Feed three time a year in spring, summer and fall with a natural fertilizer, palm food, or good shrub & tree fertilizer.

How To Grow Bamboo Plants Indoors

‘Barbelatta’ Baby Blue Bamboo is a clumping bamboo that does not require any control to contain it. That said, it can grow up to 10 feet wide over time. If you want to contain it to a smaller area this can be done. Bamboo can be controlled in a small area simply by mowing or stepping on the young shoots. Bamboo only puts up new shoots for a short time each year and, when they are “shooting,” the new plants are very fragile and easy to destroy. Root pruning or installing Bamboo Root Barrier are other methods to control spread.

Helpful Articles

Click on a link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant and care for Bamboo plants.

How To Grow Bamboo Plants Indoors

How To Plant Bamboo Plants In The Ground

How To Plant Bamboo Plants In Containers & Pots

How To Fertilize And Water Bamboo Plants

How To Prune Bamboo Plants

How To Stop The Spread Of Bamboo Plants

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Plant Long & Prosper!

Questions? Contact Us!

Plant arrived promptly as advertised, well packaged and in good condition.————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

My first order from Wilson Bros and definetely will be ordering many more plants in the future! Arrived in 4 days and in great condition. I planted it within half an hour of delivery, Worth every dollar spent on this beauty!——————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG