be wary.....go to a reputable source, once you plant it you got it....google the local bamboo nurseries, worth the trip. we bought eight new varieties last year and are really happy with them....all clumping.

The bamboo Lowes is selling here is Bambusa Multiplex which is a clumping bamboo.

I bought a bamboo at HD called Seashore Bamboo (B. malingensis) 5 years ago and it is great, we ended up having to drive 4 hours to find more 3 years later we liked it so much. If you cannot find a tag on it and a reliable name I would avoid it if you don't know how to identify running bamboo (not sure I could be 100% accurate).

IMO anything with the Latin word "Bambusa" is clumping but I could be wrong.
echobelly where do you live?

Denise

We have purchased 4 bamboo plants from Beautiful Bamboo out of Groveland Fl and are very satisfied with both them and the plants, they are very helpful with any questions, highly recommend them!

echobelly, I'm not sure where you are in zone 10, but there is a place in Loxahatchee (western PBC) called Tropical Bamboo that sells only clumping bamboo and carries all varieties. They are well worth a visit.

depot is selling both, if you don't read and research the name, well you have it......seen running in some of the yards in deland, not pretty......

Detailed Description
Hedge Bamboo (Bambusa multiplex)
Bambusa multiplex is a sub-tropical bamboo that is easy to maintain and one of the best bamboos for indoor container gardening. It grows quickly into a large dramatic fountain shape with strong 1.5" diameter canes and long narrow leaves. "Hedge Bamboo" is a non-invasive clumping species that makes an outstanding ornamental screen or specimen plant. It easily achieves full height in a large container. Bamboo prefers well-drained soil and grows in full sun to partial shade. Mature height is 18'; although pruning and pot size can regulate mature height. Hardy to zone 8b.

We are sorry, due to agricultural regulations, this item cannot be shipped to Hawaii

Hardy to Zone 8 and higher for outdoors.

Full or partial sun, grows to 8-15' in container, minimum temperature 50+.

Thanks for all the info! I may still get one to use in a container. Minimum temp. 50+ is a little worrisome, as we've had frosts the 3 winters I've lived here. I don't trust Lowes to label their garden products correctly. I bought a hibiscus bush there that was labeled "annual".

If it is in fact b mutiplex it is a nice bamboo that you should have no problem growing in zone 10. I would be very careful buying bamboo labeled like that. It will take a few years to find out if it really is mutiplex and by then might be difficult to remove.

Here's what we have: a six foot privacy fence (as high as we can go per code) a neighbor with a raised deck and a second floor balcony that looks over our back yard and pool :o
We enjoy our neighbors but like privacy and relaxation in the back yard, the neighbors like to chat.
Between the privacy fence and our paver deck there is a "lane" of about a foot & a half of soil (currently covered with river rock). This entire area is shaded by the neighbors Oak tree.
We currently have an eight ft. tall bird cage (which can be moved) that gives some privacy. I can NOT remove any part of the paver deck, my husband & brother who installed it would have my head - ha!
My question is, will this type of Bamboo you all are speaking of be a good plant for me in this area? Will the roots push the pavers up? I have condsidered a Bougainvillea - but once it reaches the top of the fence it will not have support, if it ever did with no sun.
Does any one have suggestions?

Minimum temp. 50+ is just wrong. Multiplex is hardy to 10 degrees. Frost will not hurt it and it will show no effects what so ever from 25 degrees. I have approximately 500 feet of it growing currently.