Shade or Part Shade

• Determine the type of shade to which the bamboo will be subject after planting. Full shade is an area that does not receive sunlight during the day. Part shade refers to areas that receive four to six hours of continuous shade during the day. Dappled shade, or filtered sunlight, refers to areas where the sun filters through foliage from other plants.
  
  

Shade-Tolerant Bamboo

• Many bamboo varieties evolved as understory plants growing under taller vegetation. These varieties grow well in partial shade and full shade conditions. Many bamboo species in the Fargesia genus grow well in shade or part shade. This genus consists of cold tolerant, small to mid-sized bamboo varieties. The Sasa genus consists of large-leaf, dwarf bamboo species that require a shaded or partly shaded environment. The Indocalamus genus provides options for small to mid-sized shade-loving bamboo varieties.
  
  

Outdoor Growing

• The genus Arundinaria consists of cold hardy varieties that tolerate outside winter temperatures as low as minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold hardy Fargesia varieties tolerate minus 15 to 0 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the individual species. These tend to be dwarf bamboo that grow 15 feet or less. In tropical and sub-tropical climates, try the low-growing Neohouzeaua mekongensis from Vietnam or Chusquea muelleri, a native of Mexico that grows 6 feet tall.
  
  

Planting Small Bamboo

• Most bamboo species grow best in loamy soil with a slightly acidic pH. Plant shade-loving and shade-tolerant bamboo species during the day. Cool conditions provide protection to young plants. When planting a sun-loving variety during hot weather, provide some shade for small bamboo for the first one to two weeks while it gets established, or plant in spring before the heat of summer sets in. Keep newly planted bamboo well watered for the first two to three months.