White Bamboo

White Bamboo (Bambusa chungii) is the clumping bamboo to plant when you want height without a fight. New culms push up green then take on a chalky white bloom, and a mature clump settles at around 8m tall and 3m across. The roots stay where you put them, so it screens a boundary without moving next door.

Why you'll love it

• It clumps, it does not run. Growth stays in a tight crown instead of sending runners under fences, which is the failing behind bamboo's reputation.
• White culms are the point. The powdery pale stems are why you would choose this over a plain green bamboo, and they show best once the lower branches are stripped.
• Height from a narrow strip. About 8m tall in only 3m of width, enough to screen an upstairs window from a bed most gardens can spare.
• Movement and sound. Fine leaves on tall canes catch the breeze, softening a hard fence line in a way a clipped hedge never does.

Where it works best

Screening and privacy. Plant 1.5m apart in a single row. That spacing lets each clump reach full width without crowding, and the gaps close within two to three seasons.

Poolside. Non-invasive roots mean it can sit near paving and pool shells, and the fine leaf litter is easy to skim.

Windbreaks and feature planting. It is wind tolerant and bends rather than breaking, so a staggered double row at 1.5m filters an exposed boundary rather than stopping the wind dead. A single clump in a courtyard works as a living screen wall.

Growing white bamboo in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to light shade. This is a plant for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens. It takes light frost once established but not repeated hard frosts, so cold inland districts and the tablelands should look elsewhere.

Soil. Any reasonable soil that drains. Bamboo is hungrier than most screening plants, so dig compost through the bed and mulch 75mm deep to hold moisture over the shallow root plate.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first two summers. Established clumps ride out dry spells but thin out. A high nitrogen or lawn fertiliser in spring and again in summer is what drives culm thickness.

Pruning. Take out the oldest canes at ground level each spring and thin about a fifth of the clump. Strip the lower branches to roughly 2m to expose the white culms.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold in 300mm pots, in 200mm plants in packs of six, and as advanced 45L stock. A 300mm plant is usually 1m to 1.5m tall with a few thin canes and will not look like a mature clump for two years, since bamboo builds roots first and then sends up thicker culms. The 45L stock arrives with real height and closes a screen far sooner.

Rigid canes travel well, though some leaf drop after transit is normal. Plants are 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

• How to use bamboo as a screen
• Browse the full bamboo range
• Tall and narrow screening plants
• Plants that suit a poolside garden

Common questions

Will it spread into the neighbour's yard?

No. This is a clumping bamboo, so it widens slowly outward from the crown, roughly 10 to 20cm a year, and never sends runners. A spade around the edge every few years is the only control needed.

How long until it screens?

Expect a usable screen in the second season and close to full height by year four or five. The first year goes into roots, which looks like nothing is happening and is entirely normal.

Can I keep it shorter than 8m?

Within limits. A cut cane does not regrow from the cut, so height is managed by removing the tallest canes each spring and letting shorter new ones take their place.