Help tweaking search parameters, please

I'm looking for some advice about searching for my second bamboo. I know of the search engines, but I'm wondering how to pick criteria like max size and "hardiness" to get what I want under my conditions.

I have a Fargesia rufa that is only 4 1/2 feet tall after 3 years of growth, and the culms are very-thin-like-grass rather than 1/4" or 1/2" poles. It is listed as "1/2 inch diameter, 10 foot tall", but I guess when they say "max size" they do mean "MAX", and I may be lucky to get half the potential in my yard.

I'm looking for another species that will produce stiff 1/2" poles usuable for stakes, trellises and hoops for a hoop tunnel, even under less-than-ideal growing conditions. A diamter of 3/4" at the base wouldn't hurt.

I have a bundle of rather thin rather expensive poles from Home Depot, and use them by overlapping them around 30% tip-to-tip, and lashing them together for more stiffness and length. I was hoping to grow what I need, rather than buy-and-tie!

I've started to think that if it "can grow to" 1.5 inch diameter under GOOD conditions, in my yard it MAY only grow to 1/2" diameter.

First and foremost: I have small yard so CLUMPER, not RUNNER. I guess I would consider a "spreading clumper".

I'm in Zone 8, but we do have rare winters down to zero Fahrenheit, so I was picking "ZERO" as my Hardiness limit. But "average" winters only go down to 10 F. How much damage is done to a small clump when a winter drops below the "rated hardiness"?


My Conditions:

Zone 8a, VERY heavy clay soil, partial shade.
I amended the top 6" with compost and coarse sand for my little F. rufa.

In the maritime PNW we have lots of rain Fall, Winter and Spring, and I water it during the summer

I should probably fertilize and mulch more often than I have been.

I heard that "hardiness" zones for bamboo might indicate when LEAVES die and fall off, but not severaly damage the plant itslef. What do you think? I don't want to plant something that take 5-10 years to grow to full size, but is killed or severaly damaged by frost every 10-20 ears.

I think poles a half-inch or 3/4" at the base would meet my needs, and I would like to get 6-10 foot usable lengths 1/2" around or at least 3/8".

So maybe I should look for a species "rated at" 1 to 2 inch diameter and 12-20 feet tall? I wish it would stand up 15 or even 20 feet, to hide the neghboring condo, but "graceful drooping" like a willow is what I've seen with my F. rufa.


Actual Goals:

Clumper or maybe "spreading clumper"
Thrives with average winters down to 10-15'F, occasional 0'F.
Harvest 6-12 foot poles
1/2 inch to 3/4 inch diameter at the base
at least 4 feet at least 3/8" diameter, and stiff when cured, minimum


Search For Parameters?

Clumper or maybe "spreading clumper"

Hardy to 0'F? 5'F? 10'F?

size under ideal conditions:
1-2 inch diameter ?
20-30 feet tall ?

Corey

Hardiness is a matter of both the actual temperature and the duration of the exposure to cold...if a plant that's only hardy to 10 degrees sees 0 degree temperatures on one night during the winter for a few hours, it may well pull through or just suffer minor damage like leaves falling off. But if you get a week long cold snap where it's getting that cold multiple nights in a row, then that would likely be too much for it. From what you've said, I feel like you probably want to play things a little bit safe, so I think you'd be best off looking for things that are rated as hardy in your zone or even to be extra safe look for ones that would be OK in zone 7--something like that is likely to pull through even an extra tough winter that you might have every now and then.

Here's a really good reference site for bamboos--they've got info on runner/clumper, height, zones, sun/shade requirements, etc. They don't sell plants mail order anymore, but you can at least get names of some bamboos that might work for you. http://www.bamboosourcery.com/

In the 5-6 years I've lived here, I've seen two "unusual" very cold snaps in winter, and this spring was unusually cold for a spring, all spring.

When it got uneasonably cold, it stayed that way for a week. So I'll keep "0" as a hardiness goal, or at most consider "5 F".

Thanks.

Corey