Fargesia murielae Violet Woods - Non-running bamboo

The Fargesia murielae Violet Woods is an easy-to-care-for decorative bamboo. Non-invasive, its beautiful dark green foliage reaches a height of 3.50 to 4 m, without invading the garden. This variety is particularly appreciated for the purple colouration of the sheaths of the young leaves, which stand out against the dark green of the canes. Showing very good cold resistance, at ease in any good garden soil, preferably neutral to acidic, this variety adapts to many regions. It does not require the purchase of a rhizome barrier.

The Fargesia murielae is a plant of the Poaceae family, a type of grass with woody stems that develops from a non-invasive rhizomatous stump, called a clumping bamboo. In this type of bamboo, the very short internode rhizomes develop slowly at the periphery of the stump, which gradually widens, but they also develop towards the inside of the clump, which remains very dense without thinning out in the centre. The advantage of these bamboos is that they do not produce very long underground rhizomes, which eventually shoot out from the main clump and invade the garden.
This cultivar 'Violet Woods' is a recent horticultural variety from the Well Born Bamboo Africa range, obtained by sowing and selecting the best specimens. It forms a compact clump at the base, with a high density of canes, which have a distinctly upright habit, slightly open in a V-shape at the top. This characteristic makes it a perfect plant for forming a privacy hedge and windbreak. The slender dark green canes, about 2 cm in diameter, reach a height of 3.5 to 4 m over the years, forming a clump 2.50 m wide. Each year, the new canes exceed those of the previous year by about thirty to forty centimetres. In addition to its truly graphic habit and the beautiful dark green colour of its foliage, this bamboo is aesthetically distinguished by the sheaths of the young leaves, which take on a superb purple hue, hence its name Violet Woods. This alternation of purple and green on the culms makes them very decorative, creating a superb contrast with the dark green of the leaves, especially since the young lateral shoots are also purple. Of medium size, the elongated and pointed leaves remain flat even under stress, while often those of other Fargesia varieties tend to roll up lengthwise when the plant is thirsty, to limit evapotranspiration, which detracts from the plant's aesthetic appearance.
This variety proves easy to grow, tolerating all exposures, from sun to shade, and practically all types of soils, except for excessively dry or waterlogged ones. It also tolerates pruning well, which allows it to be grown in containers and trimmed every year to limit its growth. However, Violet Woods, whether grown as a solitary plant or in a clump, will be especially appreciated as a hedge due to its very upright habit, requiring almost no pruning.

The dense and evergreen Fargesia murielae Violet Woods, with its relatively fast growth, is perfect for creating a decorative or protective hedge. It withstands wind well and forms a perfectly opaque curtain of vegetation. To create beautiful contrasts, plant shrubs or perennial plants with large leaves, or purple or golden foliage, in front of this green background (fine green foliage will be visually "absorbed" by that of the bamboo). Soft-leaved Bear's Breech (Acanthus mollis) is a particularly graphic perennial, both for its imposing sculptural foliage and its long spikes of white and purple flowers. A beautiful combination for a modern scene in the garden... With its fireworks-like habit and large heart-shaped leaves that constantly change colours, the Cercis canadensis The Rising Sun will also be an excellent companion for your architectural scene. And to enjoy a superb white summer flowering, plant a Hydrangea quercifolia Snow Queen, a beautiful Oakleaf Hydrangea, which will be well highlighted by the dark green curtain of your bamboo hedge when it turns reddish-brown in autumn...