Clumping bamboo 'Rufa'
Fargesia dracocephala 'Rufa' ·
A true bamboo that stays in a tight clump and never runs. Arching canes with rusty-orange sheaths carry a dense mass of small, evergreen leaves.
- Size
- 8 ft tall, 6 ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around clumping bamboo 'Rufa'
The planner designed this bed around clumping bamboo 'Rufa' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why clumping bamboo 'Rufa' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Clumping bamboo 'Rufa' × 1, green leaves
- 2 Himalayan fleeceflower 'Darjeeling Red' × 7, pink
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 8, yellow
- 4 White mugwort × 3, cream
- 5 Bee balm 'Jacob Cline' × 3, red
- 6 Golden ragwort × 19, yellow
- 7 Northern sea oats 'River Mist' × 8, green
- 8 Snowdrop × 10, white
- 9 Spring snowflake × 12, white
- 10 Winter aconite × 8, yellow
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- The only fine leaves here. The rest are medium. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does northern sea oats 'River Mist'.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 8 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to northern sea oats 'River Mist' (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A feature plant is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 11 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 51% of the planted ground. The bed is tied together by its repeats: three kinds come round again along it, among them golden ragwort and Himalayan fleeceflower 'Darjeeling Red'. The flowers run from late February to early October: 30 weeks in all.
The planner's own design check: 8 Excellent, 8 Good, 1 Needs revision. Its weakest point is height and scale: Heights average about 10 in at the front, 2 ft in the middle and 5 ft at the back. Along the back row the heights step up and down, between 2½ ft and 8 ft, and no two neighbours are the same height.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where clumping bamboo 'Rufa' goes in a border
At 8 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is super tall (over 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
It gives the rustle and movement of bamboo with none of the invasion: the clump widens by only a few centimetres a year. It needs shelter from hot afternoon sun and drying wind.
- An evergreen screen without the risk of running bamboo
- A fountain-shaped specimen
- Japanese-style gardens
What to plant with clumping bamboo 'Rufa'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta 'Sum and Substance': bold leaves against its fine ones; low enough (3 ft) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Japanese forest grass 'Aureola': low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Rhododendron 'PJM': adds the flowers, late April to mid May; low enough (5 ft) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about clumping bamboo 'Rufa'
Does clumping bamboo 'Rufa' need sun or shade?
Clumping bamboo 'Rufa' grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does clumping bamboo 'Rufa' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should clumping bamboo 'Rufa' be planted?
5 ft (150 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 ft (180 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 8 ft (250 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many clumping bamboo 'Rufa' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 5 ft (150 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 5 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is clumping bamboo 'Rufa' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like clumping bamboo 'Rufa'?
Clumping bamboo 'Rufa' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Inkberry: the same job in a bed; 20 in shorter.
- Tatarian dogwood 'Ivory Halo': the same job in a bed; 2½ ft shorter, medium leaves, not fine.
- Globe arborvitae 'Little Giant': the same job in a bed; 4½ ft shorter, 20 in narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What does clumping bamboo 'Rufa' look like in winter?
Clumping bamboo 'Rufa' keeps its green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Fargesia
- Umbrella bamboo Fargesia murielae
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Grass
- Size
- 8 ft (250 cm) tall, 6 ft (180 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 ft (150 cm) apart
- Height class
- Super tall (over 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; green
- Shape
- Arching, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.