How to grow Nandina, common name Heavenly Bamboo
Nandina is one of the best evergreen garden shrubs, easy to grow and provides all-year-round interest.
Key Points:
Height: Varieties vary in size from compact 1.2m up to 2m,
Light: Full sun or dappled shade. Nandina produces the best colour, flowers and berries with a minimum 6 hours of sun
Soil: Any as long as not waterlogged.
Special Features: Lovely evergreen shrub with arching branches producing white flowers in spring, followed by bright red berries.
It's common name are Heavenly or Sacred Bamboo, but be assured it is not related to Bamboo. It is safe to grow and not a garden thug or invasive. In fact, its appearance is quite delicate. Its religious associations in China, where it decorates altars, give it the name Heavenly Bamboo; it's also very popular in Japan.
I am always surprised that Nandina is not more widely grown, as it is a lovely, well-behaved shrub. Delicate, pointed leaves on arching branches create a lovely, light form. The stems do have a bamboo like in appearance. Nandina is becoming more popular. About a decade ago, there were only a handful of varieties offered for sale, now there are over 40. The development of so many varieties means that you can pick a variety of Nandina Domestica, ranging in size from 2m to compact shrubs of around .5m
It is also easy to grow as it requires no pruning and, once established, in the right place, requires no maintenance.
One of the best things about growing Heavenly Bamboo is it's all year round colour and interest. When the leaves open they take a red tint, which deepens to a ruby read in the autumn. Nandina likes it hot and in a good summer with heat, they will produce white flowers as in the image top left. If the growing conditions are good, there can be a profusion of white flowers followed by bright red berries, as in the centre image and below. The image on the far right shows the shrub's colourful nature. Nandina has a lot going for it and is not a difficult shrub to grow, despite its delicate appearance.
Where and How to Plant Nandina Heavenly Bamboo
Nandina originates from the mountain valleys of Japan, China and India and it is fully hardy to H5. Although fully hardy, Nandina grows best in a sheltered spot away from chilly winds, in well-drained soil and in full sun. Nandina is happy on most soils, which are neither too wet nor too dry, and prefers soil on the acid side. Once established, it is fairly drought-resistant and flowers best in hot summers.
Nandina are attractive shrubs, and I recommend planting them in an area with some space around them to enable the shrubs to stand out. I planted one growing alongside a couple of other shrubs. I later regretted this, as Nandina domestica was overshadowed. If I was planting again, or planting another, I would give it more space to be admired.
It is a low-maintenance shrub which does not require feeding or pruning. If it becomes overgrown, prune it in April or May, or after flowering.
Be aware that the berries are toxic to cats, although safe and loved by birds.
Lovely display of berries on this Heavenly Bamboo. I took these images at the Hopping Hare Car park in Northampton. Should you be looking for somewhere to stay, I would highly recommend it. Comfortable rooms, reasonably priced, excellent freshly cooked breakfast, and we have enjoyed many excellent dinners, the food is excellent as are the Heavenly bamboos!
Best Varieties of Nandina Heavenly Bamboo for the garden
Crocus has an excellent selection of compact shrubs, such as N. Pink blush, and Magical Lemon and Lime. (affiliate link)
One of the most popular varieties to grow is Nandina domestica 'Fire power', which, as the name suggests, has a strong fiery red autumn/winter colour , a large shrub which will reach 1.5m .
Nandina domestica 'Richmond' has the RHS garden merit award and is said to be more reliable for producing berries and good colour.
'Sunset' is more upright in form with purple new growth. 'Twilight' changes throughout the year. The newest leaves start out pink with white variegation, which changes to green and white, and then just green. It is a medium-sized variety at 1.2m.
For smaller gardens, there is a popular variety called "Obsessed" with foliage, which starts red in the spring, turns greener as summer progresses, and then dark red in the autumn and winter. Size60-90cmc with a spread of around40-60cmc.
N 'harbour Dwarf' an old compact variety up to around 60-90cms.
There is also a compact form with zingy citrus lime foliage, called Magical Lemon and lime, both of which are available, with other varieties of Nandina from Crocus (affiliate link)
Not all Nandina produce berries, some N. domestica varieties do, and in particular 'Richmond', which has the AGM reputedly for more reliably producing berries and grows to around 2m. N.'Fire Power' is widely grown in the UK which has good colour but not so good on the berry front.
There are also varieties where the foliage colour tends to be more bronzed than red such as N. 'Seika' a compact variety growing up to .6m and which needs winter protection and 'Sunset' with purple tinges to the foliage. There are smaller varieties suitable for growing in containers such as 'Tuscan Flame' which grows to around 35 cms.
I have tagged Nandina domestica the Heavenly Bamboo as a green wheelbarrow because it is easy to grow, low maintenance and drought resistant.