Photo copyright: Noah Bell, 2006Dragon's Head Bamboo; five plants, each about 8 feet tall and 10 feet wide, form a beautiful hedge in a shady area along a grove of Western Red Cedar at Bamboo Garden.
Fargesia dracocephala is a hardy clump-type bamboo from the forested mountains of China. It is reported in its native habitat to grow 3 to 5 meters (9 to 16 feet) tall. Since it is a clump-type bamboo, it can be planted without fear of rapidly spreading. F. dracocephala grows with a weeping habit. It forms a dense clump and can be used to make an almost solid screen if there is sufficient room for a plant with a weeping form. We had a 16 foot long screen of just four F. dracocephala plants at the entrance to the nursery that was terrifically dense. The culms are solid and make good small garden stakes. The leaves of F. dracocephala do not curl in the sun or the cold and stay evergreen all year, but you must protect them from too much hot afternoon sun, or they may show signs of leaf burn.
