Nandina: Is it Heavenly or Not?

Nandina domestica, also called heavenly bamboo, is a plant that grows in my woodland garden. It was already here when we came in 1985, and I have loved its lacy foliage and bright red berries. It is absolutely a low maintenance plant, requiring no fertilization, no extra watering, and no pruning. It will survive draught, floods, and fire and is deer and rabbit resistant. Individual plants can have a life span greater than a hundred years.Nandina in the woodland setting, growing in the foreground in this June photo of my woodland garden

The perfect plant? Unfortunately, no. In many areas of the South the species is considered an invasive plant. In my state, Alabama, it is listed as a plant of concern. Nevertheless, it is widely sold in garden centers, and about the only way to get rid of mature plants is with chemical herbicides, though smaller plants can be pulled by hand.

Nandina is native to eastern Asia. Despite its common name, heavenly bamboo is not a bamboo at all. It is a member of the Barberry family, but its beautiful leaves do resemble bamboo leaves. The species grows five to eight feet tall, though there are many dwarf cultivars available. Nandina grows best in humous rich, well drained soil in sun to partial shade. It will grow in dry shade, producing fewer berries. It survives in hardiness zones 4-10, though the normally evergreen plant may not prosper and will be deciduous in the coldest regions.

Young leaves are bright pink, turning to green in early summer, then taking on bronze and rosy hues in autumn. In early summer, eight to twelve inch clusters of white flowers are held above the foliage. The flowers are followed by green berries that mature to bright red in late fall.

The above photo was taken in August, 2010.This photo was take December 31, 2009. The leaves and berries were edged with frost.All parts of the plant are poisonous to humans. Warning! Ingestion can be fatal. Research shows the berries are also toxic to birds and other wildlife, who do not always recognize them as poisonous. 

Some of the cultivars do not produce fruit and should not be invasive. One I have planted is Nandina 'Firepower'. It is a dwarf form with multihued leaves which provide wonderful color accent in the garden. I like the way it complements other plants in the garden.Nandina 'Firepower' foliageNandina 'Firepower' and caryopteris

As mention previously, nandina doesn't usually require pruning, but if desired for size control, pruning can be done any time of the year. Never sheer across the top. Instead, prune individual branches at different heights throughout the plant. I don't fertilize mine, but an evergreen fertilizer may be applied once a year if needed.

 Addendum: Please read about my decision to take out the nandinas, as well as the mahonias, in my garden: My Decision 

Under the Spell of the Voodoo Plant

Did I make a mistake?

First, I should explain the two ways I choose plants for my garden.

Number One: I wander around my garden, noticing gaps and identifying needs. I then browse plant catalogues, as well as search through my garden books and magazines. I list plants that could fit my criteria. I research their light, soil, and water requirements. I make sure they will grow in my 7b hardiness zone. I think about how they will complement their plant neighbors. I consider their growth patterns. How big will this plant get? How does it spread? Will it become invasive? I always look for beautiful foliage and hope the plant will have pretty flowers, too. Sweet fragrance is a wonderful plus. It had better be low maintenance. Finally, I choose the one that appeals to me, and then I go outside and look again. I may place an object, a rake or a bucket or something with the same general shape and size, in the potential planting spot. Will it really look good there? If the answer is yes, then I hunt for the plant, preferably locally. Sometimes I order via catalogue or on line, but I always get a larger plant for a better price from local sources. Then, at last, I plant it. This whole process can take months or longer.

It may work, or it may not.

Number two method: I am not in the market for a plant, but I happen to spy one somewhere. Oh, I love it! I must have it! I buy it and bring it home. I don't know a thing about it, and I have no idea where I will put it.

This also may work, or it may not.

I used method number 2 when I recently acquired a Voodoo Plant at Carol Washington's garden party. I wrote about her garden in my last post, A Southern Garden Party. I was captivated by the plant because of its stem, which is patterned like snakeskin and feels eerily like human flesh. Another common name is Snake Lily.I brought the plant home and later did some research on it. 

The botanical name is Amorphophallus konjac. It's an exotic perennial which is hardy in zones 5 to 9, though it doesn't like wet winters and may do better if the corms are dug, shaken free of soil, and stored in a cool, dry place for the winter. They will also do well in a pot and can be grown indoors.

Maybe I will grow mine outside in a pot.

It likes high humidity and heat.

That's me!

It grows in shade to filtered sun.

That's fine. Sounds like the woodland garden will be my plant's new home.

It likes moist soil during the growing season and should be watered weekly. Plants in the ground should be fertilized in June and August. Potted plants should be fed monthly. Any general fertilizer is okay to use, but for best corm development the fertilizer should be high in phosphorus and potash. A good tomato fertilizer will work. 

None of this is a problem, and I was congratulating myself on finding a great new plant. Then I started reading more. The leaves at the top of the stem are actually leaflets, part of one giant, umbrella-like leaf, which can grow to two feet wide or larger. The round, spotted stem may grow over four feet tall. By now I realized I had, not one, but two plants in my pot!

This sounds great! I was smiling.

After several years mature corms will send up a hooded bloom in spring.

It blooms! This is getting better and better!

And then I read more about that bloom. The inflorescence is a large maroon, lascivious thing. The plant has another name: Devil's Tongue. It smells like a rotting corpse — another name: Corpse Plant! The foul odor attracts flies and other pollinators. The smell is so bad that in its native Southeast Asia people have been known to faint from the stench. It is said to be the most stinky plant on earth.

So there I have it, a plant whose putrid bloom will have my neighbors calling the cops to look for dead bodies. And I have two of them! Carol Washington, was your lack of full disclosure on purpose, or, like me, are you just another gardener under the spell of the Voodoo Plant?

If I had known, would I still have brought it into my garden? Most certainly. Yes. Of course I would! I like the weird and wonderful. And the Voodoo Plant only blooms for a few days. I don't think it will be that bad. But if I see the vultures circling over my garden, I will go take a sniff. I will carry a gas mask with me just in case. If I have to use it, I will cut the bloom off and bury it under two feet of compost...or maybe I won't!

Update on Monday, July 11, 2011 at 4:09PM by Deborah Elliott

To discover what happened in 2011, read A Little Voodoo Plant Magic.

Update June, 2014

My Voodoo plant hasn't bloomed yet, but it has certainly grown. I started with two corms, each the size of an almond. Now they are the size of baseballs. I always store them over winter and replant them in April. Each is in its own large pot, and now the stalks coming out of the soil are about an inch thick. I suspect the corms will grow to be much larger this year. 2015 will be year five, and I think they will probably bloom then. I read somewhere that Amorphophallus konjac takes about five years to bloom. We will see, and smell!

Update, March, 2015

Yes, it bloomed! Read My Voodoo Lily is Blooming!