My wife and I were in Newport Beach California this past November, and we saw quite a few very small, non-leafed bamboo hedges. To be honest I am not quite sure that these are bamboo, but they look like it. This bamboo is a very dark green with a black (for lack of the appropriate term) "seams". It has a spongy feel to it, and again, no leaves. It looked like someone had meticulously pruned a lot of bamboo shoots, stuck them in hedge rows and then trimmed the tops flat. It is very "clean" looking and very manicured.

I will post some pics this evening when I get home from work. Not too sure that this plant/bamboo would survive the extreme temps of Oklahoma, but we're doing a "zen" inspired landscpe in our backyard this year and REALLY love this look of this...we can hope.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

PS a serious scouring of google has yet to yield results, but I am sure it is because I don't know what to call this beautiful bamboo.

Thanks again! : )
Zodiac

Does the plant look like this?
http://www.missouriplants.com/Ferns/Equisetum_hyemale_page.html

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

"Take Dog apart. Disinfect. Reassemble."

Nice one Fox. I *think* that is the one. It is anywhere from mid-thigh to 6-7 feet tall hedging...We saw quite a few on ocean blvd...and it perfectly manicured. Sort of like in this pic (but in the ground of course).
http://tableandtulip.com/artwork/268765.html

I'll see what else I can find for pics.

Thank you VERY much!

Edit:

Here is side view of what they look like. (research time! Climate, unruliness etc)

If it wasn't clear from the link foxd posted, this is not bamboo.

It's a nice plant, but I don't think you'll see it reach the size it does in CA. (I could be wrong because I always grow it in containers.)

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

yes sir, I understand.
It is in the fern family if I read correctly.
Sounds like it may be a little invasive too.
I wanted to run a hedge-like structure of this
all the way around my backyard. My original intent
was to do this with bamboo to gain the privacy, wind block and beauty, but
unless I can find a bamboo that isn't invasive I will have to put in some
sort of "anti-spread" barrier or find another plant.

I appreciate everyone's help tracking this plant.

Thank you

Looks like horsetail to me.....

CA native and used a lot around here...

Equisetum arvense - considered a pest in the open.

It should grow alright where you are, but it will be hard to eradicate unless it is contained...

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John Case
Rookie Gardener
Veteran Drinker
'Circular logic works because circular logic works!'