Weaver's Bamboo 'RG Dwarf'
Bambusa textilis 'RG Dwarf'
“Weaver's bamboo — in-ground in shade under the pines. The bamboo video's own description confirms the cultivar (not 'Gracilis').”
Background
A dwarf seedling selection of Bambusa textilis (weaver's bamboo, native to China and Vietnam). Per Davis Bamboo Nursery, it came from a B. textilis seedling that Roy Works sold to Rockledge Gardens in Florida (RG = Rockledge Gardens), which has sold it for years as a dwarf version that stays about half the size of regular textilis. The American Bamboo Society officially designates it Bambusa textilis 'Dwarf'.
Distinguishing traits
Tight-clumping (non-running) tropical bamboo with slender dark-green canes ~1-1.3 in diameter; dark green, narrow leaves held low on the culm for a dense screen. Shorter and less upright than B. textilis 'Gracilis'; matures ~15-18 ft tall in the US with a clump footprint ~6-8 ft wide. Cascading leaf tips.
Desert care — zone 9b
- Chill hours
- n/a — ornamental
- Cold hardiness
- Rated to 18°F by the American Bamboo Society (zone 8b+); one US nursery rates it to 15°F. Brief 9b freezes fine; mulch the base approaching the mid-teens.
- Heat tolerance
- Handles extreme desert heat with regular water; Matt's grows in-ground in afternoon shade under pines. New plantings benefit from afternoon shade and heavy mulch in 120°F summers until established.
- Water
- Regular deep irrigation to establish; likes consistently moist but well-drained soil. Mulch 3-4 in to hold moisture. More water equals faster, denser screening.
- Soil
- Loamy to sandy loam, slightly acidic to neutral; add organic matter to desert clay. Mound planting helps drainage.
- Sun exposure
- Full sun to shade; tolerates shade well for a bamboo (used by Matt under pines).
Where to buy
- Wilson Bros Gardens
- Lewis Bamboo
- Jolly Green Nursery