Prefers a moist fertile soil in a sunny sheltered position, preferably by water. Tolerates a pH in the range 5.5 to 8.3. Plants can be grown as a specimen in lawns etc, succeeding in quite coarse grass. Plants are succeeding in a site that is very exposed to maritime winds at Rosewarne in Cornwall. Adapted to tropical, subtropical and warm temperate climates of the World, Giant reed is often found on sand dunes near seashores. It tolerates some salt. It grows best along river banks and in other wet places, and is best developed in poor sandy soil and in sunny situations. Said to tolerate all types of soils, from heavy clays to loose sands and gravelly soils. Ranging from Cool Temperate Wet through Tropical Dry to Wet Forest Life Zones, giant reed is reported to tolerate annual precipitation of 30 to 400cm, an average annual temperature range of 9 to 28.5°C and a pH in the range of 5.0 to 8.7. One report says that this plant is only hardy in the milder areas of Britain whilst another report says that it is hardy to between -5 and -10°c. This contradicts with the hardiness zone rating of 6 which would make the plant hardy in most areas of Britain. Plants thrive outdoors at Oxford Botanical Gardens as well as at Hilliers Arboretum in Hampshire and the RHS Gardens in Surrey. Extensively cultivated in S. Europe for basket making etc. Plants rarely if ever flower in British gardens233]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer.

Rhizome - raw or cooked. The rhizome can be dried and ground into a powder to make bread, usually in conjunction with cereal flours. It can also be roasted or boiled. Leaves - cooked as a potherb. They are very bitter. The young shoots are used.

Seed - surface sow in a greenhouse in February to April. Stand the pots in about 3cm of water to keep the soil moist until the seed germinates. It usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 15°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Once they are 20cm or more tall, plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Division in spring. Whilst large divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions, we have found that it is best to pot the divisions up and keep them in light shade in a greenhouse until they are rooting away well. Stem cuttings, placed in water, root easily.

Ditches, riversides and marshland.