Shrub · North Texas care guide
Nandina domestica
Nursery Pro tip: Red winter color on an unkillable plant. Gulf Stream and Obsession are the tidy ones.
Heavenly bamboo — fine, layered foliage on upright canes that turns brilliant red through winter, with red berry clusters on the older types. Ranges from the 2-ft dwarfs ('Firepower', 'Gulf Stream', 'Obsession') to the 6-ft standard nandina. Evergreen, shade-tolerant, and nearly unkillable.
Full sun to full shade — reds are strongest in sun, greens are lush in shade. Any soil. Space 2–3 ft apart depending on variety.
Any season, best fall or spring. Hole twice the pot width, ball at grade, native soil, Root Stimulator, mulch.
Weekly the first summer, then very little. One of the most drought-tolerant shrubs in the yard.
Optional light spring feeding. It grows fine with nothing.
Late winter. Cut the tallest canes to the ground, the next tallest to half, and leave the short ones — that staggered cut keeps it full from the base instead of bare-legged. Dwarf types need nothing but tidying.
Almost pest-free. Note the berries are mildly toxic to birds in quantity, and the tall species can seed around; the dwarf varieties mostly don't set fruit, which is one reason they're popular.
Anchors shady foundation beds with holly fern, liriope and cast-iron plant; the red winter foliage pairs with pansies and ornamental kale.
Written for Rockwall's black clay, heat and winters by the Landscape Source team. Every yard is different — bring a photo by, or ask LS-Ai, and we'll tailor it to your spot.