Jade Goddess Bamboo

Jade Goddess Bamboo (Bambusa boniopsis) is a clumping bamboo, which means it screens a boundary without running underneath it. Canes lift to around 7m and each clump settles into about 3m of width, tall and narrow by habit. For a fence line that needs height rather than bulk, it is one of the quickest evergreen answers.

Why you'll love it

• It clumps, it does not run. New canes rise from a tight crown, so no shoots cross the lawn or appear in the garden next door.
• Fast height on a narrow footprint. Each season sends up taller canes, so a bare fence reads as a green wall within two to three years.
• Safe beside a pool. The root system is fibrous and non-invasive, so it poses no risk to a pool shell, paving or pipework.
• Built for wind and heat. Canes flex instead of snapping, and humid coastal summers suit it.

Where it works best

Screening and privacy. Plant 1.5m apart in a single row for a dense screen. On a wide boundary, a staggered double row at the same spacing adds depth.

Poolside. Set the row back about a metre from the coping so leaf drop lands on garden rather than water. No root barrier is needed.

Pots and feature planting. A single clump in a pot of 60cm or more makes a narrow vertical accent for a courtyard, and container growing keeps the height down.

Growing Jade Goddess Bamboo in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade, in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens. It takes light frost only, so hard frost burns leaf and slows it badly; tableland and cold southern gardens need the warmest sheltered spot or a pot that can be moved.

Soil. Any free draining soil works, improved with compost. Mulch 75mm deep, kept clear of the canes.

Water and feed. Water deeply twice a week through the first summer, then weekly. Bamboo is a grass and responds to nitrogen, so a high nitrogen fertiliser in early spring and mid summer drives the new canes.

Pruning. None is needed for shape. Every second year cut the oldest canes out at ground level, and strip the lower branches if you want the canes on show.

What to expect when it arrives

Four sizes are sold: 200mm in a pack of 6, 250mm in a pack of 3, a single 300mm pot, and 45L. The packs are the economical way to plant a long boundary and catch up within a season or two. A 45L plant arrives with formed canes and gives height on day one.

Foliage is tied in for transit and a little leaf drop after planting is normal. Height comes from new canes at the base, usually from the second spring, not from existing canes getting taller. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Planting and maintaining a bamboo screen
• Browse the full bamboo range
• Plants that suit poolside gardens

Common questions

Will it spread into my neighbour's yard?

No. This is a clumping bamboo, so the rhizomes turn upward close to the parent clump instead of travelling. The clump widens slowly to about 3m.

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

Space plants 1.5m apart along the line. Any tighter and the clumps compete for water without closing the gap sooner.

Can I keep it shorter than 7m?

Yes, but not by topping, because a cut cane never grows taller again. Remove the tallest canes at ground level each year and let newer, shorter ones carry the screen.

Does it grow well in a pot?

It does, in a pot of at least 60cm with regular water and feed. Container plants top out well short of their garden height, which suits a balcony.