Colorful landscape all year long

Over the course of the last two months two shrubs have grabbed my attention. One is compact nandina, planted on the north side of the Show Me Center on the Southeast Missouri State University campus. The other one is "Firepower" nandina, found in many landscapes in the area. Both of these shrubs are varieties of Nandina domestica, otherwise known as nandina, or heavenly bamboo.

Nandina is a shrub with many interesting characteristics. First of all it, is considered a broad-leaved evergreen, although most of the time leaf color ranges from light green to yellowish-orange to crimson red. The colors get darker during the late fall and winter and provide your landscape with a splash of color.

Fall color is also enhanced by the large clusters of orange to red berries that persist into the winter and early spring. These clusters are excellent food for winter birds, which in turn add flying color to your landscape.

Don't forget about color in the spring. The clusters of white flowers show up extremely well against the background of green and yellowish-orange foliage.

Because nandina is a zone 6 plant, it does not lose its leaves in the winter unless we experience extremely cold temperatures. If temperatures drop below 0 F, nandina may die back to the ground, but it will usually grow out from its root system the next spring.

The compact nandina bush, along side the Show Me Center, has bright red berries and fall foliage that will stay on the bush for months during the winter. (Diane L. Wilson)

An interesting botanical characteristic of nandina is that it has leaves that are bi-to tripinnately compound. This characteristic makes the shrub easily identifiable for those who are interested in knowing the names of all the plants in their landscape.

Many of the landscapes in the area are heavily shaded. Nandina can tolerate shade and can also thrive in sunlight. The only down side to growing nandina in the shade is that the fall and winter colors are not as brilliant.

Even though nandina can tolerate shady conditions, don't be afraid to plant it in full sun. I have seen many specimens planted in dry sunny locations, and they do quite well.

One of my texts lists 28 different varieties of nandina. Each variety has a different characteristic that makes it unique from the species that it was developed from. Below are some of the varieties which I found do well in our area.

The species, standard nandina or heavenly bamboo, gets about 6 to 8 feet tall. It does get somewhat leggy, so it is not planted as much now as it used to be. You can hide the leggy lower stems in a landscape by planting low growing shrubs around the specimen plant. Two different shrubs with contrasting foliage color and texture make a nice combination.

The bright green leaves of the compact nandina bush turns reddish-purple during the fall and winter. (Diane L. Wilson)

Compact nandina looks almost identical to standard nandina, except that it only gets 4 to 5 feet tall. This variety can be used as a foundation plant, in masses, or as a border or hedge plant.

"Harbour Dwarf" is a variety that only gets 2 to 3 feet tall. It's texture and other characteristics are similar to the species variety. Use this plant in front of taller shrubs, along sidewalks or ground level patios.

One of the newer varieties to hit the market is "Firepower." This plant is much more compact than the varieties mentioned above. It gets its name from the crimson color that is produced during the late fall, winter and early spring.

If you want a shrub that provides your landscape with color all year long, and can thrive in both shade and sun, try planting a few nandinas. You will be pleased with your selection, no matter which variety you choose.

~Send your gardening and landscape questions to Paul Schnare at P.O. Box 699; Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63702-0699 or by e-mail to news@semissourian.com.