Fargesia ‘Red Dragon’ (Dragon Head Bamboo)

A clump of Fargesia ‘Red Dragon’ has an amazing range of colours, since the new culms (culm is the correct term for a living stem and cane is correctly used to refer to the dead ones) emerge green, turn slowly to red-purple and mature to light golden orange.

Positioning your Fargesia ‘Red Dragon’ may need a bit of thought since although the best culm colour will occur on a plant grown in full sun, the foliage will be greener and lusher with partial shade. They are better in a sheltered spot away from the drying effects of the winds. It is a clump forming bamboo, and like most Fargesias, very well behaved. It has an arching habit. You could describe it as a fountain or a mushroom- as you please. It can get to two or three metres in height over about 5 years.

Like all bamboos, it is a grass and will flourish on even the damper end of any moist-but-well-drained soil including chalky soils. It’s hungry and will appreciate fertile soil and a good mulch of well-rotted compost or manure. Bamboos are thirsty plants so be prepared to water. If you are growing this in a pot, be scrupulous in your care and don’t forget the drying aspects should we have prolonged hot sun or a period of persistent wind.