Plant in full sun in a rich topsoil with regular irrigation during the summer for optimum growth but can grow to 30 feet and look great with only occasional irrigation in cooler coastal gardens. It is hardy to - 5° F - it is the hardiest of the golden-caned bamboos. It can make a beautiful garden specimen or be used with some root barrier to create a narrow hedge, or it can be allowed to roam to form a towering forest planting.

Phyllostachys vivax is a well-known species of bamboo from China that is often called the Giant Running Bamboo. The name for the genus means "leaf spike" and is in reference to the inflorescences. The specific epithet is the Latin adjective meaning "tenacious of life" or "long-lived" and the cultivar name combines the Latin words 'aureo' meaning "gold" and 'caulis' meaning "stem" or "stalk" in reference to the golden culms. This relatively new bamboo in cultivation was imported into the US from Europe in the late 1990's and sold in an auction by the American Bamboo Society. It has since been propagated distributed to Bamboo nurseries. We received our stock plant from Bamboo Headquarters in Escondido in 2007 and grew this plant until 2021. 

Information displayed on this page about Phyllostachys vivax 'Aureocaulis' is based on our research conducted about this plant in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about it as it has grown in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.