Hi, I would love to grow some clumping bamboo as an indoor sepcimen and am looking for a clumping, variegated if possible, shorter bamboo (6-8 feet tall). If you have any that you can share, please let me know. I will be happy to pay shipping, or send other plants in exchange. My list is not updated, but feel free to ask if something interests you. Thanks, mrao

I find a shaded eastern exposure (against house and with tree shade so that almost no direct sun hits it ) to work well in my area. I love Fargesia nitida (mine is 'Green Panda').

I assume you are referring to bamboo shoots as being the edible part, in that case, all are. However, giant varieties (growing over 3") are pretty much what is harvested. I'm not an expert, but all the giants I've seen are running not clumping. You'll be able to harvest clumping shoots, but the pain to harvest a .5-1.5" shoot versus a 2-3" shoot, may make it not worthwhile. You might also cross-post to the Asian forums.

I don't know if this is a "tall order", but I figure I'd ask the experts! I'm in Raleigh, NC, zone 7a-7b and looking for edible varieties of clumping bamboo. Ideally, not reaching more than 25', with straight canes, but these criteria are secondary. First and foremost, definitely and unequivocally clumping. Second, edible; superior quality is important too. If I can't find at least one variety that has both features, I'm not going to plant bamboo. Thanks in advance for anything you can share!