I had a friend give me a gallon pot of this species last week. Northwestern Horticulture was the grower and had it listed as hardy to -10F on the side of the pot. I know it isn't that hardy but just wondering if it is going to survive and come back next year or do I need to throw a bag of leaves on it or something.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/natesplant ... hotostream

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Nate Abbott

It topkills for me but comes back strong (2' tall) with minimal mulching. If you mulch it the rhizomes should be fine. I don't think there's much hope for preserving topgrowth unless you cover then mulch it or have a lot of snow. (Even then I'm not sure)

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Alan.
My blog: It's not work, it's gardening!

It is growing fine at Bernheim Arboretum in Northern Kentucky. I would expect it to survive your Winters.

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Southern Indiana. Theoretically the same climate as 'needmore' & 'Eastlandia'.
My Bamboo List.

"Take Dog apart. Disinfect. Reassemble."

We have had mild and snowy (yeah its weird) zone 7 winters several years in row, lows around 8º F perhaps twice a year and otherwise nightly lows near 20º F. At those temperatures Pleioblastus fortunei is culm hardy with heavy leaf loss each winter. If you get heavy annual snow falls I'd leave the culms alone, you may be surprised by culm re leaf next year.

M

http://morinfen.smugmug.com/Bamboo/Japanese-Bamboo/Pleioblastus-fortunei/17761066_CTW9tv

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M