Shrub off any negative perceptions

Plant the humble Nandina well, and innovatively, and you’ll elevate what is often perceived as a utilitarian shrub to a feature in your garden.

Idon’t know if there is any shrub that stirs the emotions in quite the way that nandinas do. They appear to divide people into love-them or loathe-them camps. I come down firmly in the lovethem camp, but by dint of them being so hardy you will often see them used on roundabout plantings and this seems to relegate them to a utilitarian status. Yet, as a shrub, they are much more than this and I would like to plead their case and encourage you to try this most amenable of shrubs.

WHY DO I LIKE THEM?

Nandinas have nearly all the attributes I look for in a shrub. They are evergreen (always handy) and have attractive, divided lacy leaves that range from green, yellow, lime and orange to maroon and purple, depending on the variety and the winter climate. I can’t think of a lot of evergreen shrubs that have this degree of interesting leaf colour. Attractive cone-shaped sprays of smaller creamy flowers of a decent size appear by late spring, followed in autumn by bright red groups of shiny and long-lasting berries.

They can easily fit into any garden, big or small, traditional or contemporary. They also grow robustly in most conditions and different types offer a range of heights, from a low 60cm and up to 1.8m.

WHAT CONDITIONS DO THEY LIKE?

Touted as easy-care, almost maintenancefree shrubs, nandinas achieve their best when given a bit of love. Some water now and then, as well as an occasional feed (fertiliser in spring, compost in autumn), will have your nandina looking lush in no time. While preferring some daytime shade, they will grow in full sun – and the more sunlight they receive, the more colourful the foliage, particularly those with yellow or red tonings in their leaves.

they like a moist soil, but it should be well drained as they don’t like wet feet or very heavy soils. They also prefer a fertile soil, if possible. While they are adaptable to a cold climate (down to 15°C), they do relish a warmer climate.

HOW TO USE THEM INNOVATIVELY

Useful in any shrub border, nandinas are a great ‘backbone’ shrub to add that often much-needed structure to the garden.

nandinas shine used alone as specimens or planted in groups of three or more for maximum impact, and they are particularly useful in narrow or skinny garden beds or alongside buildings.

Try planting nandinas in a circle, square, straight line or dodecahedron, or ‘hedge’ them using two or three layers – with a shorter nandina at the front, a medium-sized one behind and a taller one behind that.

To add extra drama to any nandina planting and to highlight their interesting leaf structure, you can place some uplighting under the plants – particularly pleasing if by a deck or paved area.

They also make an attractive and useful container plant – I have two in pots that I use either side of a path entrance, and I like the formality that they bring when used in this way.

As a bonus, the leaves, flowers and berries are great subjects for floristry work – stiff enough to hold their shape, while at the same time being longlasting in the vase.

Nandina domestica (Chinese sacred bamboo, heavenly bamboo) grows to 1.8m high with a width of 1m. Its finely divided leaves change colour with the seasons, beginning in spring with a red colouration, then turning green over the summer. When the colder weather comes, the leaves add red, purple and orange to their palette. This is a strong, upright grower with bamboo-like stems.