Polk County Master Gardeners
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Nandina (Heavenly Bamboo)
In spite of the fact that it is sometimes called “Heavenly Bamboo,” Nandina
is not a bamboo at all, but a member of the bearberry family. Nandina is one of
those wonderful plants that is beautiful any time of year, is easy to grow, and
(unlike its namesake) will not try to take over your garden.
The emerging foliage on Nandina is bronze to red, turning to a bright green
during the summer months. As the weather cools in the fall, the leaves turn red,
orange, bronze, and pink and stay that way during the winter. It will show to
best advantage if you set out several plants (3 or 5 would be a good choice)
together with other evergreens with different textures.
In the spring, mature plants will have creamy-white flower clusters 8 to 12
inches high. Later in the summer the flowers will produce berries that turn a
brilliant orange-red and delight the birds in your neighborhood. Branches can be
cut for floral arrangements any time of the year and will last several days.
Nandina does best in full sun with perhaps a bit of shade at midday in the
summer. It will survive in the shade, but the colors will not be as bright and
the plants will not flower well. It needs well-drained soil with lots of organic
matter such as peat moss or well-rotted compost. Light mulch around the plants
will help retain moisture and reduce the need for weeding.
Nandinas grow slowly, but will reach 8 feet in height if unpruned. If they
send out some sprouts farther than the main plant, those branches are good
candidates to go into your flower arrangement. Major pruning should be done in
the spring. Remove the oldest branches and weak growth at ground level, but do
not try to reshape the plant. It will be far more graceful if you let it achieve
its natural shape.
Nandina needs a light annual feeding with the type of fertilizer used for
Rhododendrons or other evergreens. Best applied February to June and watered in
very well so that the plants are not burned. They are winter-hardy here in
Arkansas. They will not lose theirs leaves unless the temperature gets down to
10 degrees, and even in the unlikely event that a –10 degree temperature caused
the canes to die, they would come back in the spring.
When you are doing your winter armchair gardening, give some thought to
Nandina for year-round beauty.
By Barbara M. Tobias
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