Characteristics
| Hardiness zone | 8b |
|---|---|
| Foliage type | evergreen |
| Plant form | round |
| Mature height | 40 feet |
| Spread | 7 feet |
| Light requirements | full sun |
| Moisture requirements | average to moist |
| Plant origin | import |
Buddha’s Belly Bamboo
Botanical name: Bambusa ventricosa
A large ornamental bamboo, with canes that gracefully arch outwards forming a beautiful vase shaped plant; a tight clumper producing green culms that have short swollen internodes, shaped like a belly; ideal for screening.
Other names: Buddha Belly Bamboo
Ornamental Features
Buddha's Belly Bamboo's attractive narrow compound leaves emerge yellow in spring, turning dark green in color the rest of the year. Neither the flowers nor the fruit are ornamentally significant. The green stems are very colorful and add to the overall interest of the plant.
Landscape Attributes
Buddha's Belly Bamboo is a dense herbaceous evergreen perennial with a more or less rounded form. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.
This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Buddha's Belly Bamboo is recommended for the following landscape applications;
Mass Planting, Hedges/Screening, Windbreaks and Shelterbelts, Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens, Container Planting
Planting and Growing
Buddha's Belly Bamboo will grow to be about 40 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 7 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.
This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division.
Buddha's Belly Bamboo is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
