One possibility is that that is a very carefully selected piece of Ph. aurea, which often has compressed nodes near the base of the culms. Here is a photo of a pot of aurea showing the variation: Obviously, the picture you posted has much more beautifully spaced nodes, but, in a large grove, you can probably find quite a variety. What do you think?

Hi again, More questions! I realize that there are many different forms of Yellow Groove. After looking up images of kudzu's identification, it's very probable the one in GA is this 'Aureocaulis' variety (Golden Crookstem) of Yellow Groove. It's also possible the other variety in the pictures is 'Alata'. It's greener, with the same zigzags. I didn't notice any actual yellow grooves in the second grove, just a greenish color to it. I've looked at a few more variety images, and I still do like the original Yellow Groove, this GA Aerocaulis, and the Spectibilis especially! I'd still have to see P. Nuda in person. What I'm trying to achieve is a grove of bamboo in a line form, maybe 2 ½ - 3 feet wide by 75.5 ft long. There will be breaks, so it wont be a perfect straight line. Im leaning towards rhizome pruning, since digging a full barrier trench would hurt the roots of some existing landscape that are somewhat within the bed line; a white pine (large, mature), thin spruce (almost as tall as the white pine), dogwood (12 ft tall), and a couple of rhodas (Ill probably hack these out and move them). I rather berm up the grove line about a foot taller then ground level, and rhizome prune it. Im hoping the berm would give me the an extra foot depth, so rhizome pruning down another 8-10 inches around the berm wont cut into any existing tree roots.. I will run the line/berm right up to the existing tree (trunk), and then continue on the other side of the tree would this be ok for the bamboo, and the tree? I want the bamboo and the trees to coexist. Instant results are not necessary, so very young bamboo is just fine. The bamboo I want to grow would have to be a minimum of 15-20 ft when mature, stay evergreen, and not die back in the winter. It is for screening purposes, but it's not necessarily screening something I don't want to see. So I'd prefer the grove to be a semi-screen? To clarify, I dont want total 100% top to bottom blackout, but maybe 40% translucent, so if you really tried hard to look through to culms, you could see the other side. If you were to stand behind the grove at GA I would be able to see you through the culms, the bottom 7-9 ft were not as dense as the leafy top (you can see this in the pictures). I want the grove to stand as straight as possible. I don't like the floppy look of fargesias, I wouldn't want it to flower - go to seed, and then disappear on me! For the look I want, with a fargesia, it would just be too extensive to maintain it that size of grove. Sorry mtnbamboogirl! I know you can probably achieve this look by constantly thinning any grove, but if there is a variety that grows like this by nature, I'd prefer it. (straight, semi-bare on the bottom 6-7 ft, leaves like yellow groove, classic bamboo look & feel) If I were to maintain a grove that is 2 ½ -3 ft wide, no matter what I choose, the appearance would probably be a semi-transparent, since its so thinis this true? I believe I would need to plant a division every 4-5 ft. So 16-19 divisions! Ken, that's a lot of digging for me! I'm just not ready to start the grove yet, or to bust my back..but I'd be game in the future. I'm sure it will still be there, it isn't that easy to eradicate ;) For this very reason, I want to see and make sure I like the appearance of the grove I choose to grow. It's going to be in my backyard for a while. Does anyone know exactly what variety of Yellow Groove is at the Princeton site? How about a P. Bissetti? Not? Most images I see of this the bamboo is leaning over to one side or the other. And finally, since I cant decide.. Would it look silly if I was to plant different varieties in the line? Alternate all different types of Yellow Groove, and mixing in some P. Nuda (maybe every other division?). Remember, its going to be a thin line (3 ft max), so as your eye scanned the backyard form left to right you may notice all the different patches, and a few conifers interrupting the line. Some varieties may be slightly taller then others, or a different shade. Is this going to be ugly? Should I stick with one variety in a line? Kurt: I agree with you, I think these varieties will not die back. I got worried for a second. Maybe I can get some of that Z8+ stuff and get a rain forest going here? .. Mall Micro Climate.. Am I ever gonna shake the mall busting? j/k Im in a residential neighborhood, no mall or highway to be seen, but I could be there in 5 minutes ;) Koniferkid: Ive read posts about your 1000 different types of conifers. Should I be scared? I hope youre not into guns too Protecting the conifers at all costs! Comments? Thanks again!

It doesn't sound like bamboo is a good choice for you. Masking a wall with bamboo, and as little canopy as possible are fairly contradictory requirements, and anything that masks a 15' high wall is going to block a lot of your light. How about a flat trellis on the wall with a vine? There's a number of good vines which would totally cover your wall, with nice flowers to boot. Check out the vines and passiflora forums here, and go to the next monthly plant sale at Strybing Arboretum for some interesting and unusual choices.

Lindsey- You need to talk to a local bamboo nursery. The Phoenix climate is now subject to such temperature highs that finding the right bamboo may be a challenge. Also, any bamboo you plant will require frequent, heavy waterings. Finally, despite bamboo's reputation for growth, it will take a couple of years for it to start putting out major new growth, and will only gradually increase in height. The way bamboo grows is that it puts up new canes each year, they quickly grow to a height that is a little taller than last year's canes, and then never get taller or fatter; next year, the new canes will repeat this cycle. When I moved into my current house about 14 years ago, I planted numerous varieties of clumping bamboo. Depending on the species, I've had a wide range of growth results: 3' growing to 6'; 5' growing to 12'; 6' growing to 14'; etc. Since all bamboo have a maximum height that varies from species to species, some of these have likely topped out. There are tropical clumping bamboo that can get up to 40'-60' in, say, Florida, but might not grow very well in your hot climate. I'm not trying to discourage you, but you need local advice about which bamboo will tolerate your climate, and be realistic about how fast growth will be. If you find a species that does well, and you want a tall screen fast, you'll have to buy plants that are large already, and that won't be cheap.