Parvifolia will get thick culms and is very cold hardy. I'd say that is your best bet.

Atrovaginata is very hardy also. One of the toughest.

Rubromarginata might get 3 inch culms IF you got it to 60 feet. Which you won't. It get's more tall than fat. But if you get it tall enough yeah they are nice thickness. But it's tough and grows like wildfire.

Vivax is not as hardy as they say. It takes a little more winter burn than the most hardy. And it has thin walls and tends to break with enough wind or snow.

Dulcis is going to take a beating to in harsh winters of zone 6 and will look ugly a lot from teh burn or damage.

Shanghai 3 gets very fat. Awesome bamboo. But it will take a little more winter burn than the most hardy also.

Decora is very good too and ok thickness. Very cold hardy, wind tolerant, drought tolerant.

Arundinaria Gigantea is very hardy but so ugly it's one the few I skipped on buying ;p

And then there are the super cold hardy and tough ones that are not as thick but are most reliable against cold like Bissetii and Aureosulcata.

The thing with zone 6 is that you can have a very very bad winter and everything get top killed. Someone just had that happen, he has probably 100 bamboos but this last winter he had total top kill of all of them. On a normal winter you're going to have some damage to deal with. But it'll all live to grow again. In zone 6 you mostly just want the bamboo that is going to survive and look the best after getting hit hard in winter.

Standing water is something entirely different. That can wipe out most bamboo. However a few will do better like Atrovaginata and Heteroclada. Both of which are very cold hardy also.

Well, I went and bought the Arundinaria Gigantea last Saturday, right after posting the question. I see that it gets "Ugly". I saw that it could take wet soil, and didn't think any other Boos could take wet soil. The soil is not always wet, but stays wet a while after a rain. I have a Bamboo reference book, but can't find it. I have wrote down the Atrovaginata and Heteroclada, to do research on their looks and etc. I will see if I can find images on the Arunda. Gigan. maybe I won't think it is ugly, I only spent about 12 bucks $ for a small peice of it, but still hope I don't hate it. Thanks for the info. Also, my Fargesia died back, but I have many new shoots, it is very vigorous, this is it's first year in my yard, well, first spring after overwintering. Poaky1

I looked up the 2 tcameronk mentioned above, the Atrovag. and Heteroc. they both seem like a good boo for wet places. The Arund. Gigantea looks like the culms are not showy, it is like a shrub with the bottoms covered in foliage. I looked again, I spent $18.00 plus some odd change for it, SIGH. I should've waited to read the replies. So, out of the 2 mentioned, the Atrovaginida or the Heteroclada, which is more likely to get thickish culms, (around 2 inches plus) in zone 6 in sometimes soggy soil? I would prefer a Boo that shows off it's culms bottoms when you have a spot with several culms in a clump, of course I am talking about running bamboo. Poaky1

Okay, I made a purchase again, on Ebay. But, I think I did good. I got a piece of Phyllostachys Atrovaginata for about $20.00 after shipping. I looked at many images on Yahoo and it looks good, and is for wet soils, and was suggested by tcameronk, so I am hoping it can get at lest 1-2 inch thick culms in my zone 6 yard. I may return the Arund. Gigantea, I need to look at many pics of it to see if I really want/don't want it. Poaky1

Atrovaginata is a good choice. It makes thick culms really fast and is very vigorous. Very nice looking groves too. You should be happy with it.

If you already have it just keep the Gigantea. Put it in big pot for now or something. I doubt these will be your only bamboo, it's addicting you'll want more in no time :D

Okay, Thanks tcameronk, I have ordered the boos but will receive them next week. I will try to send back the Arund. Gigantea, I don't have enough area to let more than one BOO take a good area. I have 2 acres, with many trees. So A running boo and a clumping boo Fargesia Rufa "Campbell" if I recall correctly. Those 2 are a good amount of Bamboo for a couple acres. I have some trees for wet soil, but, a nice wet soil boo grove which can be controlled will be great. Okay, goodnight all.

If timber-sized, running bamboos do not succeed for you..., consider yourself blessed!

poaky-

I wish you luck, but I think you are testing the limits of hardiness. What kinds of temps do you experience in the coldest part of winter? These are the hardiness listings I found for the bamboo you mention:

Ph. atrovaginata: -5F

A. gigantea: -10F

Ph. vivax: 5F

Ph. rubromarginata: -5F

These are the temps at which bamboo die if they get a one day exposure; you will get top kill well above that. If you can get any of those to survive over the long term in Zone 6, that will be great, but don't expect huge culms. I have been growing many kinds of timber bamboo in Zone 8 for 15 years; I don't have problems with hardiness or top kill, but I doubt that I have any culms larger than 2" in diameter.

Well, I already received the Ph. Atrovaginata, and planted it, it was about 2 days after ordering to get it, and I got the A. Gigantea in about 2 days after ordering, but, I am not sure if I want it now, someone said it is ugly, and I can't find an image online that shows me that it isn't ugly. The pictures are bad, or it truly is an ugly plant. Well, If the culms come up and grow then die during winter, I can still use the dead culm for crafts, and there will be more culms come up from the ground in spring from the energy the roots got during the last growing season, right? I can still get some culms to use, but there will be no big grove.

Kudzu those bamboos absolutely will not die at those temperatures. Those are the temps they are hardy to. Meaning they survive and are hardy at those temperatures. below that is when they start to take damage and way below that they will die. Roots are usually hardy to a good extra 10 degree below or more than the bamboos hardiness rating. Sometimes a good 15-20 degrees below even. Although top kill can happen at those temps or even a little higher depending on how long it's that cold and how windy it is and how long the winter goes on. As mentioned before some people have not even top kill at way below the rated temperature even. But then again some people have a really long winter and have gotten top kill above the rated temp. But I don't think I've ever heard of a bamboo totally getting killed to the roots at the rated temps. They always go far far below that.

tcameronk-
I'm going to disagree here on what cold hardiness means. Based on my own experience, from hanging out on various bamboo forums, and from info on bamboo nursery sites, it is typical to consider a hardiness rating as synonymous with the temp at which the roots die. Here is what Bamboo Sourcery -- a well-respected bamboo nursery -- says on its web site:

"The cold-hardiness rating generally represents the threshold for root death."

Bamboo hardiness

And here is a picture of what a Fargesia nitida (hardiness rating -15F) looks like in a Zone 6 winter (where the lowest temps are 5-10 degrees above the hardiness rating):

F. nitida top kill

My clumping bamboo I think it was Fargesta Robusto had just one culm last growing season, and that one top killed/died, but this year I have 5-6 new culms coming up. I will try and get a picture before to long. I just went and took 2 pics. I will post them soon. But anyways, I will just hacve to wait and see how my Phy. Atro. fares in my yard next winter. I have a Evergreen southern mag in my yard that did fine in my zone 6 yard for about 3 of the last winters which have been brutal, but a friend about 6-7 miles away has had them die on her over winter 2013 and 2014, I bought her one, each of those years. And both winters she had the one tree croak. She is at the foot of the mountains here and maybe the air comes down and gets her yard. I will try and post the pics of my Farg Robusto

Pic of Fargesia

Pic of Fargesia Pic of Fargesia

I found my book on Bamboo, and it says that Phyll. Atrov. gets 13/4 inch culms. I just hope my zone 6 will get me the 13/4 inch culms. I am thinking of planting the Phyll. Atrov. in a large tractor tire with soil in it. I planted it in an area that stays moist/wet longer than other areas. I have sowed some watermelon seeds in this large tractor tire soil area, but, I think for the first year in this Bamboos life it can share this area with a watermelon vine. It has about 18-20 inches of soil inside the tire. I will move the Atrovaginata to this tire as soon as I can. I think if it looks good to me and I like it, I will try to heap some soil up and do the mound planting mentioned in the past by another Bamboo grower.

Above I meant 1 and 3/4 inch culms.

I have 2 varieties of Arundinaria gigantea. They're reasonably attractive and have no damage in 7-a. I also have A. tecta, which is deciduous. It's not as attractive as the others. Both grow in moist to wet areas, although not in permanent standing water. Phyllostachys heteroclada also tolerates wet soil.

Thanks Steve but, I am going to stick with the one runner Phyllos. Atrovaginata that I have. I have a clumper F. Nitida, (I think). I am planting lots of trees in my yard. I may eventually try some short bamboos when my trees get larger, that is if they are hardy to zone 6.

I have Phyllostachys Atrovaginata here in Spokane (zone 6). I had culms shoot as large as 2" this spring, although most were in the 1.5" range. I brought a 50 gallon plant from Eugene, OR, 4 years ago, and it has gone from 17 culms to about 60, and from 20' tall to 34' tall. The diameter has gone from 3' across to about 8' across. 2 years ago, temperatures got around -10 f for a few days. I only had minor leaf burn and some spotting on a couple of culms. My advise is to mulch 2' high in the winter and spread it back out in the spring, so that the warmth gets to the root ball quicker. Water it like crazy once spring hits if you want it to shoot. Incense Bamboo loves water, and I believe intense watering and warm surface soil gets it to shoot more aggressively. As far as I know, they are the largest diameter culms in Spokane.

Good advice BW, thanks Poaky1

Kudzu9, you told a bamboo newbie that vivax will die with one day at 5F, and atrovaginata will die with one day at -5F. Unless there are other contributing factors that have resulted in unhealthy plants, NEITHER will die at those temps, especially after ONE day. I have 30 years of experience with vivax in zones 5b to 7a. And I have a group of bamboo friends who run the zonal gambit growing both plants. Vivax LOVES winters that hover at 5F. They don't like steady cold dry winds, but leaf damage doesn't begin until we get a week of sub-zero, and then most of us lose some culms with -15F, especially younger ones. Snow of any temperature is rough on them because of the inherent cane weakness.

Thanks for the heads up Colealp, I'm sure others who will use this thread for reference will be glad for your info. Poaky1

colealp-

Welcome...always good to hear another opinion. Actually, I was just passing along info from the American Bamboo Society, but you probably know more. In any case, I'll look forward in the future to how others do with testing zonal hardiness.

My atrovaginata was the fastest of my bamboos to upsize and reached 1.25 inch culms by 19ft in 2013 which is the 5th shooting season. It has since downsized to around 14ft with no culms any more than an inch in diameter after near complete defoliation after 2 consecutive brutal winters with a dozen subzero nights each. I do expect it to reach new heights next spring if it is a much milder winter since the growth area has tripled and should bounce back strong if the leaves don't fry.

The parvifolia which was planted at the same time was only around 1 inch by 15ft at best in 2013 but that one got to 17ft in 2014 then up to nearly 23ft culms by 1.5 inches this year. It is getting a good amount of leaf burn too but appears to be handling the worst winters a lot better than the atrovaginata. Based on my experience, parvifolia is likely the top performer for zone 6 in upstate ny.

My Fargesia Nitida, came back from last years really cold winter. I need to take a pic.

Fargesias have outstanding hardiness properties. Although they can sometimes look pretty beat up after a harsh winter, they can recover well when many other species get set back or get killed.

Would love to see your nitida. Brilliant boo, for sure. Our answer to Japanese cut leaf maples that our deer love too well.

I'll try and post a pic soon.

Colealp, I believe that your bamboo hardiness may be a result of a combination of wind block, grove maturity, snow cover, and a thick layer of rich soil. I believe it may be the reason why my parvifolia can hold onto most of its leaves with similar temperatures that you experienced. It has the best soil location and a complete wind block with evergreen trees on the west side.

It seems like the actual temperature tolerance of bamboo leaves on the hardier species can be well below 0f however the bigger issue is when foliage and culms get dehydrated by frigid winds while roots cannot supply moisture fast enough to replenish the loss.

Some areas get windier with less snow, and less workable soil which may result in less hardiness.

We have partial wind block from open shade forest on two sides, no helpful evergreens. We're at 1200' elevation, so the wind they do get is icy and brutal . Some years we've had snowpack from December 1 until mid-March; other winters have been dry. As for grove maturity ... eh, it's been a grove since I planted rhizomes.

And yes, soil, mulch, and keeping them in top health through the spring and summer are huge factors. I have a thing about never using tarps/wraps - what I can't keep alive with mulch is left to Mother Nature's discretion. Just a personal preference in growing. My pathetic moso goes into winter looking like an XMas tree shaped leaf pile. People ask what I'm hiding.

I certainly envy you having parvifolia. It wasn't readily available when I was plotting my grove. Some people have claimed it's the coldest runner they've owned. I especially love the white rings - and the overall look. It's a bamboo that reminds me a child's drawing of what bamboo should look like, ya know?

Peace.

Well my Phy Atro died. I planted it in a giant tire filled with soil. I chickened out planting it where it would have done better. On another note I have a pic of my Fargesia Nitida. I will try to find my post about it, but will post one here too. It has been in the ground for 2-3 years I am guessing, and has gotten inch wide culms on this years new culms, so better i waited to post pics anyway. Fargesia nitida 2016

Just to clarify, I had gotten a fargesia nitida starter plant from ebay, or from someone on here, sorry, I don't remember. But, I was supposed to take a pic last spring, and forgot, but, really the winter of 2014-2015 was a rough one here, and the boo looked really bad, the color of straw. Last winter of 2015-2016 was pretty mild (a low of 3+F) and this years new growth, I even knocked down about 5 new culms. In the pic above you can see how nice the bunch is. So worth the wait compared to how the plant was last spring anyhow. And I am just too afraid of growing the runners. I am still interested in the less woody short runners, with slim culms. They are usually under 4 ft. But, not easy to find. Sorry I waited so lkong to post pics. Later.

Poaky, I have some clumpers and some runners. You really betta be prepared to work if you plant any runner. Of the clumpers, we grow Fargesia rufa"green panda bamboo". It forms a tense grove if given some protections from Summer and Winter sun here in NJ/Zone 7. They were expensive initially, but each year I divided the clumps and extended the wall of bamboo. It is completely non-agressive and has 0% dieback in our winter, and is deer proof. So now there is a solid wall of evergreen bamboo on the eastern border of the house with neighbors (about 10 feet tall).

I also have some runners in the back but am ever vigilant to keep them in check. This year was a mixed bag. There are openings in the tree canopy (due to previous hurricane damage), so light for bamboo to expand but there's been moderate drought, so they are kept in check. Besides, I have other weeds from HELL that make the bamboo look like a dream come true! It's all about balance with the running bamboo. They can be very aggressive given good growing conditions and a lack of vigilance. My intent is to plant more TREES in the back and create more shade to curtail (but not eliminate the running bamboo), and my new NEMESIS..., Scottish Thistle (The true weed from HELL). We got rid of a grove of running bamboo only to have this evil plant come out of nowhere to colonize. It's got 6-8 foot stems covered in thorns that penetrate my gardening gloves. I thought the bamboo was bad until I inherited this god awful weed. Now, I am rooting for the running bamboo!!

Sub, I had bought a runner ( all is stated above) and I think it is still alive, I thought it was dead, but, I think it is just stunted. Many folks said that it is not that bad, just keep it in check etc, but, I know that sometimes I don't keep up with things too religiously to say the least. Weeds may get tall before I get to them etc, so I have had the "be prepared to work" warning in my head before you ever said it. Once I get to things I do them, but, I hate to be out in the heat, and this summer is a scorcher, I do stuff in the evening, and that is usually weed control. I think a runner would get the upper hand. I wish i could grow a clumper that would get 3 inch culms. How big are the farg Rufa green panda culms Subtropical? Barrier is expensive also, as far as runners. I wonder (as far as my 1 inch wide culms) when can you "harvest" your culms to use them? Like for crafts fencing etc? If I had sandy soil I may grow runners, my soil is not easy to work,. It is full of small rocks, hard to plunge a spade into without being stopped by rocks, small ones in the top layers and bigger ones as you go further down.

Fargesia dracocephala 'Rufa' will get about 10' high and the culms will max out at 1/2". I doubt there is any clumper that will survive in your Zone and give you big culms. Your best hope is a cold hardy runner. Barrier is not that expensive: you could get a 25' long piece for $50 (Barrier - Lewis Bamboo), and that would be long enough to do a 7.5' circle with a foot or two of overlap.

Kudzu9, I am in zone 6a. I would need barrier at about 24 inches deep, and 40 foot encircling. I would love to grow running bamboo, but, in my soil I am afraid to try to grow it in an area

Ok...well 40' of barrier would be $80, which doesn't sound outrageous if you have your heart set on having a big clump of running bamboo. If you put in barrier, what are you afraid of?

Kud, I would still need to have it installed. And then tend to it. I would be planting it to eventually harvest it. I think I can harvest branches that are 3 inches thick without needing to worry about tending to the culms in the grove. I think that harvesting small trees is easier than taking care of running bamboo.