Plant in full sun or light shade. Irrigate occasionally to regularly. Cold hardy to 21° F. With its smaller leaves this plant is more tolerant to wind than the larger Bambusa oldhamii but there is some disagreement on the story about coastal tolerances that gave this bamboo the name "Seabreeze", a name coined by American Bamboo Society Past President and nurseryman, Ralph Evans. Many of the Bambusa species are used with varying success in protected coastal situations (sometimes called Zone 2 or 3 coastal zone) but, even in these zones, the toughest of the bamboo are usually adversely affected by the salt laden winds.

When we first heard about Bambusa malengensis's tolerance for coastal conditions we thought it would be a great addition to our product listings as we are often asked for a recommendation for coastal areas. The story, as we understand it, is that this plant was growing well for the late Richard Neufeld at his Oceanside bamboo nursery. The nursery had an abundance of Bambusa malingensis and Richard made a recommendation to someone looking to plant a bamboo in a seaside project, based on this plant's performance at his nursery and possibly because of his desire to sell a plant he had in good quantities. Mr. Neufeld's nursery, while in a coastal town, was not located adjacent to the ocean in what one normally associates with the coastal zone and there are some that dispute its tolerance for growing along the beach. Our nursery, while in the coastal city of Santa Barbara, is a mile away from the beach and well sheltered from direct coastal breezes so we cannot test the claim. We would love to hear from those who have planted this species and any other bamboo along the beach. For more information on plant selection in the harsh coastal zone see our Beachside Planting List.

Bambusa malingensis is native to Hainan, China where this vigorous bamboo is noted for its production of strong thick-walled new culms that are used for light duty lumber products. The name for the genus comes from the Dutch word 'bamboes' or 'bamboo' that was a modification of Malay word 'bambu' and the specific epithet is derived from Ma Ling Chuk, the Cantonese name for the species. We grew this bamboo from 2009 until 2012. The images on this page courtesy of Ralph Evans 

The information about Bambusa malingensis displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.