Umbrella Bamboo ‘Jumbo’

Fargesia murielae ‘Jumbo’

Umbrella bamboo ‘Jumbo,’ or fargesia murieliae ‘Jumbo’ in full, is a great choice of bamboo for screening and hedging purposes. As a bonus it is clump forming and non-invasive, which means it will not spread through your garden like an uncontrollable weed, which sets it apart from many other species and varieties of bamboo. ‘Jumbo’ has fresh green leaves and green stems, which will gradually turn yellow. Like all species of bamboo, fargesia ‘Jumbo’ is evergreen and has a very vigorous growth habit. It can be planted in just about any soil and will grow in most positions, with a preference for sun or light shade and a slightly fertile, well-drained soil. Its hardiness is remarkable, as it can cope with temperatures below -25C, which makes it suitable for the northernmost areas of the UK.

Umbrella bamboo is able to reach a height of more than 3.5m, which paves the way for a large screening hedge. The species fargesia murielae is native to central China and the ‘Jumbo’ cultivar was developed from this species. ‘Jumbo’ has a striking weeping growth habit, which is very elegant and aesthetically pleasing. Due to its bushy growth habit - with an abundance of greenish leaves from the top all the way down to the bottom - umbrella bamboo can be used for all situations where screening is desired. Umbrella bamboo does not require pruning, but can be cut back as rigorously as you like, as it will always grow back. Although umbrella bamboo is a very common choice for hedging, it is also great as a specimen or as a thicket.