Fargesia Robusta Formidable Best for Hedges and Screens [Clump-forming Bamboo]

Fargesia Robusta Formidable is ideal for low hedges and screens. Also a fantastic container plant.

Its upright culms and arching evergreen foliage can withstand temperatures as low as – 15 degrees Celsius, a very hardy and drought tolerant.

Buy Fargesia Robusta Formidable

We’ve compiled a list of the reputable Garden retailers in the UK where you can buy the right bamboo at the right price.

You can buy clump-forming bamboo plants from top UK retailers.

Characteristics Fargesia Robusta Formidable

• Identification: Fargesia Robusta Formidable, Umbrella Bamboo
• Foliage: Evergreen dense foliage.
• Culm: upright, brown sheath, green culm.
• Height: 3 - 5m at full height (avoid growing in windy sites)
• Spread: 2 –4, clump-forming.
• Use: Screen, hedge, containers, oriental garden, individual plant.
• Perennial: 10 -20 years.

Bamboo Growth requirements

• Site: Full sun to part shade.
• Soil: loam, sand and clay.
• Moisture: Well-drained and moist.
• Hardiness: - 15 to - 10 degrees Celsius, hardy bamboo.

Grow Formidable Green Screen Bamboo

Robusta Formidable resembles the popular Fargesia Robusta Campbell, however, it is smaller, shorter and broader in appearance.

It is difficult to identify these two Robusta Bamboo varieties from images. 

The best way to tell the difference is to compare them side by side, Campbell is tall and slim whereas Formidable is compact. 

As the name suggests, both bamboo plants are fast-growing, robust clumping bamboo plants.

Fargesia Robusta varieties can be quite demanding compared to the other Fargesia group of bamboo plants. 

The Robusta Bamboo plants produce a lot of new shoots after the first or second year of growth. It will form tight clusters of culms and thick evergreen foliage.

Formidable grows at a rate of 0.5 to 2.m metres in one growth year in the UK. 

On average, this fast-growing bamboo can reach maturity at 3 - 5 years. 

After that, it will remain evergreen for an estimated 10 – 20 years.

Uses of Fargesia Robusta Formidable

This clump-forming non-invasive bamboo is the best choice for small to medium hedges and privacy screens. 

In fact, the broad dark green leaves and arching branches and upright culms provide make it the best choice for any cover.

It is also an ideal bamboo for small to medium pots and containers. One reason why it makes a good container plant is its compact nature. It adapts well to confined spaces.

Another reason this bamboo is ideal for pots and containers is that it produces an 'umbrella' effect with its arching branches and upright (compact) stems.

Fargesia Robusta Formidable Care

Although bamboo plants are tolerant, there is a number of natural threats growers should be mindful of.

Mitigating these early threats is the best thing to do to protect the new growth. Here are the common natural threats that are likely to affect the growth of your Fargesia Robusta Formidable :

• New leaves, bamboo shoots and rhizomes tips are susceptible to slug attack.
• Frozen soil damages the exposed root hairs and rhizomes.
• Strong winds damage the tender new culms.
• Bamboo plants will occasionally need mulch as fertilizer.

Propagate Fargesia Robusta Formidable

There are three ways to propagate bamboo plants from the seeds, or by culm and rhizome cuttings, or culm separation.

Some people have successfully used the conventional ‘Layering’ as the fourth way to propagate large bamboos. 

However, propagating bamboos from the cuttings and by separation is, by far, the two popular ways many gardeners use in the UK.

Choose from our Fargesia Robusta Bamboo Collections 

Fargesia Robusta Formidable is an Umbrella Bamboo that resembles other Robusta Bamboo plants that we feature on Garden Bamboo Plants (GBP).

Formidable's best features among the Robusta Bamboo group are the copious number of leaves and bright yellow stems, non-invasiveness and tight upright formation. Best for hedges like this (VIDEO)

Here is a unique selection of Small to medium Fargesia Robusta Bamboo plants under the Umbrella Bamboo label.

1. Fargesia Robusta Campbell
2. Scabrida Asian Wonder
3. Fargesia Robusta Pingwu
4. Frosty Bamboo Angustissima
5. Robusta Bamboo Collection

Bamboo Plants for Hedge, Screen or Contained Spaces

Our work on bamboo on this site shows that there is, in fact, the right bamboo plant for every garden and contained space.

Bamboo plants are tolerant and tough, they provide the evergreen perennial effect. 

These plants are fast-growing and long-lasting and provide the best greenery cover all year round.

Bamboo plants are known to grow at an average rate of 0.5 – 1.0m in Spring and Summer, reaching their full maturity within 3 – 5 years. 

Interestingly, these hardy plants remain evergreen for up to 20 years, even more.

Fargesia Robusta Formidable is a clump-forming bamboo best for hedges and screens.