Black Bamboo Plants for Sale UK

Black Bamboo nigra is an award-winning bamboo for its unique features. 

The RHS described it as ‘one of the most elegant bamboos, with polished, damson-black mature canes and dark green leaves.’

Black Bamboo is a standout. It does behave like clump-forming bamboo in parts of the UK where it's cooler.

Black Bamboo Plants for Sale UK

Here is where to buy clumping bamboo plants. We listed some top UK Home and Garden retailers like Crocus and YouGarden.

Features of Black Bamboo Plants

• Identification: Phyllostachys nigra, Black Bamboo nigra, running bamboo (behaves like clumping bamboo in cooler climate)
• Site: Grow in full sun to partial shade.
• Soil: Prefers moist but well-draining loamy soil.
• Uses: Windbreak, pots and containers or individual plants.
• Winter hardiness: -15 to - 20 degrees Celsius.
• Height: Fast-growing plant, 4 – 6m.
• Spread: Invasive bamboo
• Foliage colour: Evergreen dark foliage all year round.
• Culm colour: Ebony expresso black

Black Bamboo Phyllostachys nigra 'Megurochiku'. (Also called the Olive Cane bamboo)

Black Bamboo Stems

Black Bamboo nigra is a fast-growing bamboo, known to be an invasive variety of running bamboo. It is a spectacular bamboo with ebony dark black to matured expresso black stems.

At an average height of 4 – 5m at maturity, the black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra) is a tall and slender arching bamboo variety, fully hardy to -20 degrees Celsius.

Bamboo Nigra is known as one of the most distinctive bamboos of the Phyllostachys group. There are different cultivars of black bamboo nigra. Check out the full collection on GBP Blog.

How to Propagate Black Bamboo Nigra

The three ways to propagate Black Bamboo are

• seed propagation,
• separation of the clump-base and
• culm (stem) or rhizome (root) cuttings.

Bamboo seeds are often hard to buy near you because they do not flower regularly. The best way to propagate the black bamboo is by base separation or roots and culms cuttings.

Experiences of Propagating Bamboos

We tried the different ways of propagating bamboo and know that it requires a lot of prep and effort to get the bamboo growing. 

Yet, watching the germinating bamboo is often rewarding.

Black Bamboo Care

Although black bamboo is a low-maintenance plant, the new growths will require care and attention.

Beware that the slugs adore the tender new growths, they can widen them if left unprotected.

If you are propagating bamboo plants from rhizomes or culms cuttings or planting a recent purchase, protect the new growths by adding the slug killers.

Here is my YouTube video showing a 4-week-old bamboo attacked by slugs.

Grow Black Bamboo Plants UK

When growing the Black Bamboo Nigra, perhaps an important factor to consider is the invasiveness despite showing some common features of the clump-forming bamboo.

If you are growing bamboo in the garden, put it in an area where there is room to spread.

The old black bamboos will thrive in well-drained soil with high moisture and nutrients, but like most bamboos, they do not like compacted dry soils.

It will require re-potting when it outgrows the pot so if you want to keep it longer, use a large pot or container. As a rule of thumb, the size of the pot should be twice the size of the base clump.

If you see browning in the culms or the bamboo leaves turning yellow, check the soil. Here is an article on how to revive your bamboo plants in a case where there is a sign of distress.

Black Bamboo preferred sites

Although the Black Bamboo Nigra is an elegant variety, it is an invasive bamboo. As mentioned earlier, it requires a lot of space to grow.

The arching culms and evergreen dark leaves can spread 4 – 6m on average. It is important to take this into consideration when choosing a site to plant to grow the black bamboo nigra.

As a pointer, this peculiar bamboo is ideal as an individual plant in the garden or contained in large pots and containers for balconies and terraces.