Phyllostachys aurea

Golden Bamboo is edible when shoots are young and small in spring. The mature canes are excellent for use in the garden.

It is a semi-running variety of bamboo, but is easily kept in check if heavy traffic or you keep the area around it mowed regularly. Have had mine as a hedge for 26 years and has only spread into the neighbors yard the last 3 years (they haven't mowed). I do not water it. If you did it might be more prone to running. Incredibly energy/labor intensive if you let it escape. It will make new clumps. Is very drought tolerant once established in my region.

All golden bamboo will flower, go to seed and then die in a region at the same time. The starts from this plant were taken from plants prior to the flowering. I spent the summer picking the flowers to keep it from going to seed and dieing. I watched all the other golden bamboo die in town, some hedges bigger than my current bamboo hedge. I was once told that this happens every 20 years, but haven't been able to confirm. Just an interesting side-note.

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