Returned to Buddha Belly Bamboo after a difficult first attempt

My first attempt at Buddha Belly Bamboo failed — die-back after mass flowering which occurs once per lifetime got hold of it and I didn't know what I was looking at until it was too late. I left it alone for a year before trying again.

The second attempt, with proper attention to removing the oldest and most congested canes each spring, has been completely different. It's now thriving in a poolside or water feature surrounding planting and rapid establishment and fast vertical growth is on full display. cane hardening and leafing out through summer this year was a genuine reward for starting again. If you failed first time, the plant isn't the problem — the conditions probably were.