• Eventual height: 5m
  • Eventual spread: 3m

Phyllostachys nigra

black bamboo

5 year guarantee RHS award of garden merit
2 litre pot | 20 - 30cm tall £44.99 £39.99
PL30000686
£44.99 £39.99
PL00004527
£79.99
PL30006592
£99.99
PL00004535
£129.99
PL30007207
£164.99
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Bamboos never look their best in winter because the cold, drying winds will often scorch their leaves. In late spring however, new canes will appear bearing a fresh batch of lush foliage.

  • Position: full sun or partial shade
  • Soil: humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil
  • Rate of growth: fast
  • Hardiness: fully hardy


Phyllostachys nigra is a beautifully tall, arching and award-winning bamboo, with polished ebony black mature canes and dark green leaves. The slender, elegant canes, which are deep green for the first two to three years, look perfect in a contemporary, minimalist garden.

This beautiful and vigorous plant propagates primarily through rhizomes and is considered a running bamboo. In small gardens, it is best restricted in suitably large containers, planted out in a partly sunken pot, or planted within a root barrier placed around the root mass to maintain an appropriate spread. Please see our bamboo control system here.


  • Garden care:
    Plant black bamboo at 3m intervals and water consistently, especially during dry spells. Mulch to retain moisture and regulate temperature. Fertilise in early spring and mid-summer with a high-nitrogen fertiliser. Prune dead or weak canes in late winter or early spring, and thin crowded clumps to improve air circulation.
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