Phyllostachys aureosulcata 'Spectabilis' – Showy Yellow Groove Bamboo

A bold, colourful bamboo that turns heads

If you want a bamboo that really stands out, Phyllostachys 'Spectabilis' is hard to beat. Its tall, upright canes are a bright, sunny yellow, each one marked with a vivid green stripe running along the groove between the joints. The result is a cheerful, striped effect that lights up the garden all year round, set against a backdrop of long, lush, evergreen leaves.

Sometimes sold simply as Phyllostachys spectabilis, and also known as showy yellow groove bamboo or zigzag bamboo, this is a vigorous, hardy bamboo that holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit. It is one of the hardiest bamboos with yellow-and-green striped canes, making it an excellent choice for British gardens, including cooler and more exposed sites.

Key Features

• Striped yellow canes: Bright yellow canes with a contrasting green stripe in the groove, alternating from side to side

• Colourful new shoots: Fresh shoots emerge a rich reddish-pink in spring, and young canes in full sun can take on attractive red tints in their first season

• Zigzag canes: Some canes develop a quirky zigzag kink near their base, adding extra character

• Evergreen: Long, glossy green leaves stay on all year for constant screening

• Tall and upright: Fast-growing, with a narrow, upright habit that's ideal for screening

• Very hardy: Copes well with cold British winters, tolerating temperatures down to around -15°C

• Wind tolerant: Handles breezy sites better than many bamboos, making it useful as a windbreak

Size and growth

In the ground, 'Spectabilis' is a large bamboo, typically reaching around 5–6 metres in height when mature, and sometimes more in rich, moist soil. As a rough guide, you can expect a plant of around 4 metres tall and 2 metres wide after four or five years. Like all bamboos, it spends its first year or two establishing roots before putting on real height, then produces new, taller canes each spring. It can easily be pruned to keep it at a height that suits your garden, and plants grown in containers will stay much smaller.

An important note on spreading

'Spectabilis' is a running bamboo, which means it spreads by underground stems (rhizomes) that can send up new canes away from the main plant. In the cooler UK climate it often behaves fairly well for its first few years, but it is one of the more vigorous bamboos, and once established in good soil its roots can travel. Unless you want a grove, it's important to plan for this from the start.

We strongly recommend one of the following:

• Install a bamboo root barrier: Use a rigid, heavy-duty plastic barrier sunk around 60cm deep, leaving a few centimetres above soil level so you can spot any rhizomes trying to escape over the top

• Grow it in a large container: Its hardiness and upright habit make it an excellent bamboo for big pots, with no risk of spreading

• Check annually: Each autumn, walk around the plant and cut off any wandering rhizomes with a sharp spade

With the right containment in place, it's an easy and rewarding plant to live with.

Where to plant it

• Screening and hedging: Its fast, upright growth makes an excellent tall, colourful screen along boundaries, fences or walls

• Windbreaks: A great choice for more exposed gardens where other bamboos might struggle

• Specimen planting: A single, contained clump makes a bright, eye-catching feature in a border or lawn

• Containers: Ideal for large pots on patios, terraces and roof gardens

• Contemporary, tropical and Japanese-style gardens: Pairs well with dark-leaved plants, ferns, grasses and acers, which make the yellow canes glow

• Mixed bamboo planting: Contrasts beautifully with black bamboo for a dramatic combination

Growing conditions

Light: 'Spectabilis' grows well in full sun to partial shade, but for the brightest cane colour and the lovely red flush on young canes, choose a sunny spot. In deep shade it tends to become more floppy and less colourful.

Soil: It prefers a fertile, moist but well-drained soil, and grows happily in most garden soils, including loam and chalk. Avoid ground that stays waterlogged, and give extra water on very dry soils.

Shelter: Although it's more wind tolerant than many bamboos, avoiding the harshest cold, drying winds, especially salty coastal winds, will keep the foliage looking its best.

Planting guide

• If planting in the ground, install your root barrier first, allowing plenty of room inside it for the plant to grow

• Dig a hole about twice the width of the root ball and to the same depth

• Loosen the soil at the base and mix in some well-rotted compost or organic matter

• Set the plant at the same level it was growing in its pot

• Backfill, firm in gently and water thoroughly

• Mulch around the base with bark or compost to retain moisture and suppress weeds

• For a screen or hedge, space plants roughly 1–1.5 metres apart

Caring for your bamboo

Watering: Water regularly during the first growing season to help the roots establish, keeping the soil moist but not waterlogged. After that, water well during dry spells. Container plants will need regular watering, particularly in summer.

Feeding: A general-purpose or high-nitrogen feed in spring encourages strong new canes and healthy foliage. For container plants, use a balanced liquid feed about once a month through the growing season.

Pruning: Very little pruning is needed. In spring, remove any dead, damaged or weak canes at ground level. Thinning out some of the older canes helps show off the striped stems, and the tops can be trimmed if you want to limit height.

Leaf drop: It's normal for some older leaves to yellow and fall in late autumn and early winter. They'll be replaced by fresh growth in spring.

Leaf curl: If the leaves roll up in warm weather, the plant needs water, so give it a thorough soak.

Growing in containers

Thanks to its hardiness and upright shape, 'Spectabilis' is one of the best large bamboos for growing in pots. Choose a large, sturdy container with drainage holes and use a loam-based, peat-free compost such as John Innes No. 3. Keep it well watered and fed through the growing season, and divide or move into a larger pot every few years once it becomes congested.

Why choose Phyllostachys 'Spectabilis'?

For a bamboo that combines real height, fast screening and eye-catching colour, Phyllostachys 'Spectabilis' is a superb choice. Its striped yellow canes, pink spring shoots and quirky zigzag stems bring brightness and character to the garden all year round, while its hardiness and tolerance of wind make it reliable even in tougher spots. With a root barrier or container in place, it's a spectacular, easy-going plant that lives up to its name.

Please Note: Our bamboo pictures are for illustrative purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the height / size of plants you will receive. Plant sizes depend on both the pot size and also the amount of growth of the plant during a particular growing season. In some cases, particularly for fast growing bamboos, this can result in a big difference in height within a single season, meaning any height information we show becomes quickly outdated. For this reason, we generally avoid specifying supplied heights for our bamboos. If you have any questions before making a purchase, please feel free to contact us on (01782) 502741.