Malay Dwarf Bamboo

Malay Dwarf Bamboo (Bambusa heterostachya) is a clumping bamboo, so it thickens where you plant it and does not run through the garden. It reaches about 5m tall and 2.5m wide with fine arching foliage on upright canes, and it will screen a two storey window from a strip of ground barely a metre deep. The roots are non invasive and it is not toxic to cats or dogs.

Why you'll love it

• It clumps, it does not run. The rhizomes are short and tight, so the plant expands slowly outward rather than sending shoots under a fence.
• Tall and narrow. About 5m of height on roughly 2.5m of width, which is the ratio a narrow side boundary needs.
• Fast to screen. New canes come each warm season and reach close to full height in one, so privacy arrives quickly.
• Safe around pets and pools. It is not toxic to cats or dogs, and the fine litter is easier to manage poolside than palm fronds.

Where it works best

Screening and hedging. Plant 1.5m apart for a dense screen. A single row at that spacing closes into a continuous green wall within two seasons, and canes can be thinned to show their structure.

Poolside, windbreaks and pots. The upright habit keeps growth off paving, and the canes flex rather than snap, so it filters wind on an exposed boundary. In a pot 600mm or wider it holds at around 3m.

Growing Malay Dwarf Bamboo in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest canes; part shade works but the clump stays looser. It belongs in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, and takes light frost only, so cold inland and hard frosting southern districts will burn the foliage.

Soil. Any reasonable soil with drainage. Work compost through the bed before planting and mulch 75mm deep over the root zone, which is where new shoots come from.

Water and feed. Water deeply two or three times a week through the first summer, then weekly in dry weather. Bamboo is a grass and responds to nitrogen: a lawn or general fertiliser in early spring and mid summer keeps colour and cane size up.

Pruning. Trim the tops where you want the screen to sit, and remove the oldest canes at ground level each year to let light into the clump. Never cut a cane below your target height, because a cut cane does not grow taller.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in 200mm pots sold in packs of 6, 250mm pots in packs of 3, single 300mm pots and 45L. The packs are the sensible way to plant a long boundary; the 300mm and 45L plants arrive with taller established canes for faster cover.

Bamboo travels with its foliage tied and often arrives looking flattened, which resolves within a week or two. Expect a quiet first month while roots establish, then new canes in the following warm season. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, a minimum order of $300 before delivery and our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The complete bamboo screening guide
• Browse the full bamboo range
• Compare clumping bamboo for privacy
• Other plants that suit a poolside setting

Common questions

Will it spread into my neighbour's yard?

No. This is a clumping bamboo with short rhizomes, so the base widens gradually rather than running. Allow about 2.5m of eventual width and it stays where you planted it.

How far apart for a solid screen?

1.5m apart in a single row. Planting closer does not close the screen faster and makes it harder to water and thin the clumps later.

Is it safe for pets?

Yes, it is not toxic to cats or dogs, which is one reason it is a common choice for fenced backyards and pool surrounds.