Nandina is one of those plants that quietly outperforms everything around it. It is not a bamboo despite the common name, it is not a fussy plant, and the modern dwarf cultivars will sit in a hot western border colouring up scarlet through autumn and winter while everything either side of them looks tired. If you want structure and seasonal colour without a maintenance bill, this is the shrub.
Quick facts
| Detail | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Nandina domestica, family Berberidaceae |
| Mature size | 0.5 to 0.9m for dwarf cultivars, 1.5 to 2m for the upright species form |
| Position | Full sun for the strongest colour, tolerates part shade |
| Soil | Any reasonable soil with drainage, slightly acidic preferred |
| Water | Moderate, drought tolerant once established |
| Climate zones | Everywhere from subtropical Brisbane to cold inland and Tasmania, frost hardy well below zero |
| Foliage colour | Deepens to red and bronze through autumn and winter, greenest in a warm summer |
Choosing the right nandina cultivar
The species and the dwarfs are effectively two different garden plants, so decide which job you are filling before you shop.
The upright species form grows 1.5 to 2m on cane-like stems with a light, airy habit, spring flower panicles and red berries in winter. It suits a narrow bed against a wall, a courtyard corner or a Japanese-inspired planting where you want a see-through vertical element rather than a solid block.
The dwarf mounding cultivars are the ones most Australian gardens want. Nandina 'Firepower' stays around 60cm, rarely flowers or fruits, and turns an intense crimson through the cold months. Nandina 'Gulf Stream' reaches 80cm to 1m with a more refined blue-green summer leaf that flushes red at the tips. Nandina 'Nana' is the tightest and lowest at around 50cm, useful as a repeated mass planting.
For year-round brightness rather than winter red, Magical Lemon Lime Nandina holds chartreuse new growth through the warm months and is an easy way to lift a shaded green corner. All of the dwarfs sit comfortably alongside the other reliable performers in our guide to low maintenance shrubs for Aussie gardens.
How to plant
Autumn is the ideal planting time across most of Australia, and it has the added advantage of showing you the plant's winter colour immediately. Early spring is the alternative in cold inland districts.
Nandina is not demanding about soil, but it will not tolerate standing water. Dig a hole twice the width of the pot and the same depth, work a spadeful of compost through the backfill, and plant with the top of the root ball flush with the soil surface. On heavy clay, raise the bed by 20cm.
Space dwarf cultivars 40 to 50cm apart for a continuous low band, or 60cm apart if you want each plant to read as an individual mound. The upright species needs 80cm to 1m. Water in thoroughly and mulch to 5cm, keeping mulch off the crowns.
In pots, use a premium potting mix in a container at least 35cm wide. Nandina is unusually good in pots because it grows slowly, holds its shape without clipping and looks presentable in every season, which is why it appears so often in the kind of planting covered in our small-space balcony plant guide.
Ongoing care
Watering
Water twice weekly through the first summer. After that, a deep soak every ten to fourteen days in dry weather keeps the foliage full; nandina survives longer dry spells but drops its lower leaves and looks thin. Pots need water two or three times a week in summer.
Feeding
One application of a balanced controlled-release fertiliser in early spring is sufficient. If the plant looks pale, a supplementary feed of an acidifying azalea and camellia food in autumn helps, particularly in alkaline soils where nandina tends towards yellowing.
Pruning
The dwarf mounding cultivars need almost nothing beyond removing the occasional damaged stem. Do not shear them into balls; they lose the layered texture that makes them worth planting.
The upright species form needs the cane renewal treatment. In late winter, cut about a third of the oldest canes right down to ground level, choosing the tallest and barest ones. New canes shoot from the base and the plant stays furnished with foliage from top to bottom instead of turning into a bare-legged thicket. Repeat annually and the plant never needs hard renovation.
Common problems and fixes
Yellow leaves with green veins. Iron deficiency, usually in alkaline or limey soil, or where builder's rubble is buried nearby. Apply chelated iron and mulch with an acidic organic mulch.
Sparse, leggy growth. Too much shade for the species form, or missed cane renewal pruning. Cut the oldest third to the ground in late winter and it recovers within a season.
Poor winter colour. Red colouring is driven by cold nights and full sun. In subtropical Brisbane, the colour change is genuinely milder than in Melbourne or Canberra, and a plant in shade will stay green. Move it into sun if colour is the point.
Leaf scorch. Crisp brown margins after a hot dry wind, most often on plants in pots or thin sandy soil. Mulch, water more deeply, and give afternoon shade in the hottest inland districts.
Berries and pets. The red berries on the fruiting forms contain cyanogenic compounds and should not be eaten by people, pets or livestock. The dwarf cultivars 'Firepower' and 'Gulf Stream' fruit rarely or not at all, which makes them the sensible choice for a family garden.
Self-seeding near bushland. Birds spread the berries of the fruiting species form, and it has naturalised in some bushland areas of eastern Australia. If your garden backs onto a reserve, plant a non-fruiting dwarf cultivar instead.
Frequently asked questions
Is nandina actually a bamboo?
No. The common name heavenly bamboo comes from the upright cane-like stems and fine divided foliage, but Nandina domestica belongs to the barberry family and is a woody shrub. It does not run, it has no rhizomes and it will never behave like a bamboo, which is exactly why people plant it where bamboo would be a mistake.
Is nandina invasive in Australia?
The berrying species form has naturalised in parts of eastern Australia because birds carry the seed into bushland. It is not a problem in an ordinary suburban garden well away from remnant vegetation, and the modern dwarf cultivars sold for landscaping produce little or no fruit. If you garden next to a reserve or a creek corridor, choose one of the non-fruiting dwarfs.
Why is my nandina turning red?
That is the plant doing what it is meant to do. Cool nights from autumn onwards trigger the red and bronze pigments, and the effect is strongest in full sun. It is a seasonal colour change, not stress, and the foliage greens up again as the weather warms. Our article on plants that change colour through the year covers the others that do the same trick.
How fast does nandina grow?
Slowly, and that is a feature. Expect 10 to 20cm a year, so a dwarf cultivar takes three or four years to reach full size. Buy the size you need rather than expecting a small plant to fill a bed quickly.
Will it grow in full shade?
It survives in shade but performs poorly. Growth thins out, the winter colour never develops and the species form goes leggy. Two to four hours of direct sun is the practical minimum, and full sun gives the best result in every state.
Ready to plant?
Browse our low-maintenance shrubs for the full nandina range and its natural companions, or look at plants for pots if you are working with a courtyard or balcony. For ideas on using nandina in a structured planting, see creating a Japanese-inspired garden in Australia and our low-growing border ideas.
