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Fargesia robusta 'Campbell'
Clumping non-invasive Fargesia robusta 'Campbell' was first collected in the mid-1980's by Dr. Julian
Campbell in the Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan, China. It was brought to The Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew in England thereafter
to be grown on and distributed. It is the largest and most upright of the clumping, non-invasive Fargesia genus. In our garden this is one of the first of the bamboos to shoot each year.
In early March dozens of new culms start poking their tips through the soil. For
us this marks the beginning of spring in the Northwest. Fargesia robusta has brilliant white sheaths on new culms that create
a striking checker board color combination of white and dark green new culms through the spring and summer seasons. Plant
this bamboo where you can appreciate its beautiful elegant structure. Fargesia robusta 'Campbell' handles full sun exposure
in Portland with no sign of distress, and is very drought tolerant once established. Always fresh looking through the harshest
winter weather, this bamboo is extremely wind tolerant as well. Rated cold hardy to 0°F degrees
and possibly lower, Fargesia robusta 'Campbell' has proven to be an excellent large non-invasive garden
bamboo. A cultivar of Fargesia robusta with much larger leaves called 'Wolong'
is also from the Wolong Nature Preserve in China. It is not as erect and tends to weep much more so than the other forms.
It also has beautiful red colored sheaths and dark purple branches as an identifying trait. Unlike the other Fargesia robusta
variants this cultivar does not like hot afternoon sun and should be planted in a partial shade location if at all possible. Fargesia robusta 'Campbell' makes an excellent first time bamboo and is extremely popular and well known among gardeners and enthusiasts across the world. In it's native habitat it has a confirmed height of 20 feet tall. Here in Portland you can expect at least 12 to 15 feet in height with summer irrigation, composted manure mulching and good garden soil. A full size mature clump measures up to 8 feet in width at the base and almost as wide as it is tall at the top from the cascading older culms. Always difficult to keep in stock so don't hesitate to buy a nice sized division!  |
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