This bamboo is growing at a friend's house in Media, Pennsylvania (SW of Philadelphia - near Zone 7a / 6b border). It seems to be totally hardy, evergreen, and gets about 8 - 9 feet tall.

Looks a little like an Indocalamus but it's probably too tall for Indocalamus tessellatus (and the leaves are smaller than the Indocalamus tessellatus I purchased at a nursery). Could it be Pseudosasa japonica? I do not know bamboos well so my guesses could be totally off.

(growing left of the car, across the driveway)

My guess would be Psuedosasa japonica. it looks like it from the photos, and since its one of the most common bamboos, that should be it. There are several Pseudosasas that look simliar though- Ps. viridula, Ps. longligula, but they are much less common.

nice plant. I love the japonicas, they are great for so many uses.

Looks like PsJ' to me as well

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Bamboo...Please note... This plant is seriously addictive and you may lose interest in other, less rewarding plants!

Is Pseudosas japonica easily controlled? If I wanted to keep it confined, how big an area would I need? I have a potted specimen right now that I put outside in summer and in my cool sunroom in winter. But I bought it with the idea that I might plant it outside someday.

I am in Zone 7a Delaware so if my friend can grow it 11 miles north of me in Pennsylvania (i.e. in the photos I posted on the beginning of this thread), I guess it should do fine for me as well. However, my friend says it comes up through his driveway sometimes!

It's way easy to control , you can see from the pics it's right next to the drive so without any setback the drive is toast , but all it needs is a rhizome prune late summer, just cutting the rhizomes that have grown under the drive( half hour tops ,once a year) would have saved that problem.

It's not happy in a really confined space but there's no way way this is 'invasive' , just allow room for maturity. I've a plant here thats getting on for 20 feet tall but still is only in an area of 4yards.

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Bamboo...Please note... This plant is seriously addictive and you may lose interest in other, less rewarding plants!

I would have to disagree about Ps. japonica (Arrow) and say that it is invasive. Around here in the PNW at least, where it is a true weed species. I was out riding my bike today and saw an Arrow grove at the side of a house. It had grown under a 4 foot wide concrete sidewalk and was making a new hedge beween the sidewalk and the road. I was amused with that, and then I noticed the most striking thing! It was growing up and into and indsde the walls of the garage of the house it was next to, and actually growing indide the garage's side door! You could see it growing behind the glass of the door! I will have to go back and take a photo of that one and post it here. It is on a walkway by a school.

As said above, the thing to do is rhzome prune them and they will stay under control. However, if left unattended, I would rate Arrow as one of the most invasive of the running bamboos. It is sneakey, grows fast, and is able to send out long thin rhizomes. It is just starting to shoot here now (early type for this area). I re-potted a large one that I have in a pot this afternoon as well. The rhizomes had wrapped themselves around the pot 2 times in only one year! I pulled up the plant, pruned off the wrapped rhizomes and put it back in its pot. Bad bamboo! Bad bad bad bamboo!

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Happy trails...

Around here, zone 7a outside of DC, it's one of the most common bamboos and grows pretty agressively.
A few years ago, a clump appeared near a creek behind my house. Since it's well within the flood zone, I'm guessing it came from a big stand a half mile upstream.

your having a larf ain't ya

Japonica's a tame little puppy dog!- have you tried any from Sasa~ Sasaella~Chimonobambusa etc~ they make the japonia look like it's rhizomes are wrapped in concrete

Japonica spreads here but is well within control, some of the above are not

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Bamboo...Please note... This plant is seriously addictive and you may lose interest in other, less rewarding plants!

I have the perfect answer for you mark... Ill send you a few homegrown Oregon gophers- the seem to prefer those species of bamboo, especially the Chimonobambusas...

when they have eaten all the bamboo, I guess you could try them stir fried.

Chimonobambusa is not aggressive here. Too cold to grow it in the ground here. My oldest brother planted a Sasaella a few weeks ago. I warned him about them. Also several types of Pleioblastus can be aggressive here. Dwarf Fern Leaf escaped in my other brother's yard. We had to dig it all out this winter. I ran all over, maybe 30 feet in diameter.

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Happy trails...

Even worse than gophers, I will send him some voles! My cat loves to eat them. They must be tasty!

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Happy trails...

Finally got a cat that adopted us and kills everything! Especially voles.
She can leave 4 or 5 a day on the front porch, after eating one or 2.
I wish I could move her to my new bamboo home, but to many coyotes!
I have Coyotes her and she always has at least 3 escape exits and hunts by a tree almost exclusively. But there are too many in Chico. Time for a hunt!
Then I have the mean Beavers and River Otters to contend with. Beaver killed 2 pitt bulls at the same time when they swam out after it! 30 30 gave him a head ache. Dove down to retrieve him and ran right into his face the first dive! Let him float up after that little scare.

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40+ varieties; trying to stay close to that until I get them all in the ground. 1 + acre to grow on. 30 in the ground!

Beaverville: At least they haven't cut down the bamboo yet. they stick to bigger targets.

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40+ varieties; trying to stay close to that until I get them all in the ground. 1 + acre to grow on. 30 in the ground!