Himalayacalamus hookerianus 'Baby Blue' (Dwarf Blue Bamboo) - This dwarf form of the Blue Bamboo was selected at San Marcos Growers. It forms an attractive clump of upright 1/4-inch-wide culms to about 6 feet tall with 6 inch long dark green leaves. The newly emerging shoots are a dark purple and age to a dark green color with a slight bluish cast.
Plant in morning sun or light shade in Southern California to full sun further north. Hardy to 15 degrees F. Good for use for a small hedge planting or for large containers.
Himalayacalamus hookerianus in cultivation in California flowered continuously through the 1990's. A plant at Abe Nursery in Carpinteria, California set viable seed, which was collected and the resulting seedling plants were quite variable with some retaining the characteristics of the species as typically described (see our listing of Himalayacalamus hookerianus and others, like this dwarf form, seem to have remained in a juvenile stage. To distinguish this form from the regular form of Blue Bamboo, which we also grew at the time, we named this smaller form 'Baby Blue'. At the time we also grew Himalayacalamus hookerianus 'Teague's Blue', a selection that is more robust than the normal form and was named for San Diego plantsmen Bill Teague.
The name for the genus combines the regional reference to the Himalayas with the Greek word 'kalamus' meaning "reed" in reference to the plants in the genus coming from lower altitudes of the Himalaya in Bhutan, Tibet, India, and Nepal and the specific epithet honors the English botanist and Kew Garden Director Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817–1911). We grew this seedling selection from 2007 until 2013.
The information about Himalayacalamus hookerianus 'Baby Blue' 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. |