Arrow bamboo is a nice and interesting bamboo, but wouldn't be my first choice for a hedge as that plant's characteristic is to have much of the foliage on top. You can't encourage it to leaf out lower. When a bamboo shoots, each culm reaches its ultimate height, thickness and branchng in 1-2 months and will stay essentially unchanged for the life of that culm. You can't prune it like a tree or bush because what you cut off won't be replaced and nothing below will grow to compensate. In the spring, when the plant shoots, you may get new growth that is shorter than what you have and those leaves will fill in the space below; but ultimately as these plants mature the culms will be taller and taller and there will be less leafing at eye level. I'm not trying to discourage you -- I have Arrow and like it -- but I don't use mine for hedging. If you want a nice hedge that has a vertical habit and is leafy from the ground up, I'd suggest something like Semiarundinaria fastuosa.

Here is a link that might be useful: S. fastuosa

Many thanks for that useful info and you're right, it is a lovely bamboo - coincidentally, today, we have taken the Arrow bamboo back to the shop it came from as we both get the feeling it isn't ideal for our use so your posting confirms our feelings which is great.

Do you know if Semiarundinaria fastuosa would thrive well in a windy, coastal location? If so then I think that is probably the best way to go.

Again, many thanks

You're right - I LIve on the north coast of Cornwall in the south west of England - windy, rainy and maritime with lows of -2 in the winter and highs of 30C in the summer - thanks for the advice again. All the best.

Several years ago, we planted an Arrow Bamboo and loved it and by the second year it blocked our neighbors. Then the winter of 2009 it got too cold and froze -- so we cut it clear back. Last summer it tried to come back but only got 2 or 3' tall. Is there a chance this summer that it will once again grow and be showy -- or is it doomed because we had to cut it back.

If the culms were dead, cutting it back had no effect. If you cut culms that still were alive -- even if leafless -- they could have re-leafed, but are now gone for good. However, the pruning still would not have had a significant effect on new growth. The reason you got shorter growth is that the winter cold must have severely damaged the root structure. Your shorter new growth last year had nothing to do with the pruning. As long as the plant stays alive, it should put up bigger new growth each year (until new shoots reach the mature size for that species).

For the future: 1) don't prune culms that are leafless until you are well into the summer, and 2) put a big pile of mulch on top of the clump/grove to better protect the roots in harsh winters.

Thanks so much for your response! Hoping a big shot of Osmocote will help it take off -- or do you have something
you feel would do better. Appreciate your help as have not found many in Idaho who know much about bamboos.

Osmocote is what I give my bamboo each spring. It may help to throw on a couple of handfuls.