🍂 Species guide
🌿 Balcony and terrace
🌿 In brief
Nandina, or sacred bamboo, is not a bamboo at all: it is a small evergreen shrub that does not spread, stays outdoors all year round down to -15 °C and changes colour with every season. In a pot, it needs three things: light for its colours, a free-draining potting mix with no standing water, and regular watering in summer. For bright red in winter, choose Blush Pink™, 'Gulf Stream' or Obsessed™; to brighten up a corner, 'Twilight' or 'Lemon Lime'.
Pink in spring, green in summer, fiery red in winter: nandina is one of the few shrubs that bring colour to the balcony while everything else lies dormant. Compact, hardy and undemanding, it does very well in a pot. Here is how to choose yours from our five varieties, plant it and look after it so that it keeps its finest colours from one year to the next.
Why grow nandina in a pot
Nandina, Nandina domestica, comes from China and Japan, where it has been planted near houses for centuries. It owes its nickname of sacred bamboo to its slender stems and light foliage, but it belongs to the barberry family. The varieties we offer are compact selections, bred for growing in pots.
Colour all year round
Pink, coppery or lemon young shoots in spring, green foliage in summer, then red, orange or bronze from autumn to the end of winter.
Outdoors all year round
Hardy down to -15 °C, it stays on the balcony in winter and keeps its leaves. In fact, it is the cold that brings out its red.
It does not spread
Unlike true bamboos, it forms a clump that stays put. Its slow growth keeps it at balcony size for a long time.
Easy to place
Sun or partial shade, acidic, neutral or alkaline compost: it is less demanding than ericaceous shrubs such as leucothoe.
⚠️ Toxic plant
All parts of nandina are toxic if ingested by dogs, cats, birds and children. Keep it out of reach of pets that chew leaves. Our guide to cats, dogs and plants offers ways to keep them all safe together.
The varieties
Our five nandinas are delivered in a 17 cm pot, 40 or 45 cm tall. What sets them apart is mainly their colours and their mature size.
| Variety | Spring | Summer | Winter | Mature size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blush Pink™ | Soft pink shoots | Reddish green | Fuchsia red and orange | 50 to 60 cm, the most compact |
| Obsessed™ 'Seika' | Bright red shoots | Blue-green, new red shoots all summer | Bronze red | 60 to 90 cm |
| 'Gulf Stream' | Coppery shoots | Blue-green tinged with red | Orange-red and bronze | 80 cm to 1 m, dense and rounded |
| 'Twilight' | Bright pink shoots | Green marbled with white | Coppery tones | 80 cm to 1 m, the only variegated one |
| 'Lemon Lime' | Lemon-yellow shoots | Bright lime green | Stays yellow-green | 90 cm to 1.2 m, no berries |
Which one to choose
- For a small balcony or a window box: Blush Pink™ or Obsessed™, the most compact.
- For the most intense red in winter: Obsessed™ and 'Gulf Stream'.
- For a single specimen in a large container: 'Gulf Stream', whose rounded shape stands on its own.
- To brighten up a partly shaded corner: 'Lemon Lime' or 'Twilight'.
Our guide to plants with coloured foliage explains why light determines how intense the colours are.
Position and aspect
Light is what gives nandina its colours. In the sun, its spring shoots are brighter and its winter foliage redder. In deep shade, it grows, but stays mostly green.
- At least four hours of direct light to enjoy its winter red. An east-, south-east- or west-facing balcony is ideal.
- A south-facing spot is fine, except against a white wall that reflects heat in summer: the young leaves, and the white parts of 'Twilight', can scorch.
- Sheltered from cold winds. It is icy wind, more than frost, that makes it lose its leaves. Against a wall or a solid railing, it keeps its foliage all winter.
To find out how much light your balcony gets, see our balcony guide by aspect.
Pot, potting mix and repotting
The pot
Your nandina arrives in a 17 cm nursery pot. It can stay in it for a few weeks, but it grows better in a larger pot: allow 25 to 30 cm in diameter for the first repotting, then 35 to 40 cm for a mature 'Gulf Stream' or 'Lemon Lime'. The pot must have drainage holes, and be frost-resistant if it stays outdoors in winter.
As for colour, a dark pot such as the anthracite Capi Nature Skin sets off red, pink and yellow-green. A light pot such as the taupe Capi Nature Groove echoes the coppery tones of 'Gulf Stream'.
The potting mix
Nandina accepts acidic, neutral or alkaline compost. What it cannot tolerate is standing water. Use a shrub compost, put a few centimetres of clay pebbles at the bottom of the pot and do not leave it standing in a saucer full of water in winter. Our guide to understanding potting mixes explains the right mix.
Repotting
- Water the root ball the day before so that it comes out easily.
- Add a drainage layer at the bottom of the new pot, then a layer of compost.
- Set the root ball at the same level as before, without burying the base of the stems.
- Fill in with compost, firming it lightly, then water generously.
The best time is spring, or autumn as long as there is no frost. After that, repotting every two to three years is enough.
Watering, feeding and pruning
Watering
In the ground, an established nandina copes with short dry spells. In a pot, the potting mix dries out quickly: water when the top few centimetres feel dry to the touch, often twice a week in summer, much less in winter. The finger test is still the best guide. In summer, water at the base and in the morning: young leaves turn brown at the tips if the pot dries out or if the foliage gets wet in full sun. Tap water is fine.
Feeding
A shrub fertiliser in spring is enough. For Obsessed™, a second feed in early July keeps the red shoots coming throughout the summer.
Pruning
Nandina needs hardly any pruning. At the end of winter, cut stems damaged by the cold back to the base. Every two years, remove one old stem in three at soil level: new coloured shoots grow back from the base and the clump stays dense. On 'Twilight', cut back to the base any stems that have reverted to plain green; they are more vigorous and would eventually take over the variegated foliage.
🌿 Before you go on holiday
In midsummer, a potted nandina will not last a week without water. Our guide to plants and holidays offers solutions for while you are away.
Nandina in winter
From November to March, it is at its best. Cold and light turn its foliage red: this is not a disease, and it turns green again in spring with the new shoots.
- Leave it outdoors. It is hardy down to -15 °C and has no place in a heated living room.
- Protect the pot in very cold weather. In a pot, the roots freeze before the leaves. During cold snaps, move it closer to a wall and wrap the pot in horticultural fleece.
- Water very little. Water generously before winter, then only when the potting mix is dry, and never during a frost.
- Do not worry about a bare stem. In very cold weather, it may lose some leaves: the stem is not dead and will leaf out again in spring.
Our guide to overwintering your balcony explains how to protect pots, and our guide to rescuing a cold-damaged plant helps after a frost.
What to plant it with
Its red foliage warms up winter displays, and its coloured shoots take over in spring. Pair it with plants that like the same aspect.
- Winter flowers at its base: the Christmas rose 'Christmas Carol', pure white, stands out against the red of Obsessed™; 'Diamonfire', creamy white on red stems, against the orange of 'Gulf Stream'. The Lenten roses 'Dacaya' and 'Double Ellen Pink' pick up the pink of Blush Pink™ and 'Twilight', while 'Double Ellen Red' contrasts with the lemon of 'Lemon Lime'.
- A grass along the edge: Carex 'Ice Dance', evergreen and edged with cream, softens the rim of the pot.
- A dark green backdrop: laurustinus, an evergreen, bears white flowers from November to March behind the nandina.
- Two nandinas together: 'Lemon Lime' and 'Gulf Stream' in the same window box create a lemon and orange-red contrast; Obsessed™ and 'Twilight', a gradient from red to pink and white.
Lined up in a long window box, several nandinas also make a colourful low hedge that stays below the balcony railing. To go further, see how to create a winter window box and our guide to hellebores in pots.
Common problems
| Symptom | Likely cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Red foliage in winter | Normal reaction to cold and light | Nothing to do, it turns green again in spring |
| Foliage stays green in winter | Lack of direct light | Move it to a spot that gets at least four hours of sun |
| Brown leaf tips in summer | Pot left too dry, or sun reflected off a pale wall | Water more regularly, move it away from the wall |
| Dull yellow leaves | Overwatering, water sitting at the bottom of the pot | Check the drainage hole, empty the saucer, water less often |
| Leaves dropping in winter | Icy wind or severe cold | Shelter it against a wall; it will recover in spring |
| All-green stems on 'Twilight' | Reversion to the original, more vigorous foliage | Cut these stems back to the base as soon as they appear |
For other cases, our guide to yellowing leaves helps you find the cause.
Mistakes to avoid
⚠️ Avoid
Leaving it in its nursery pot. In a 17 cm pot, it dries out too quickly in summer.
A pot without a drainage hole or a full saucer in winter. Standing water rots the roots.
Placing it in deep shade. It survives, but loses its colours.
Bringing it into the warmth for winter. It needs the cold to turn red.
Clipping it into a ball every year. This removes the young shoots, which are the most colourful.
Our selection
You now know how to grow it in a pot. Here are our nandinas, and the plants that go with them.
For winter red
The most colourful from autumn to the end of winter.
To brighten things up
Variegated with pink and white, or bright yellow-green.
To go with it
Winter flowers, a grass and an evergreen backdrop.
Verdeia — Balcony
Colour on the balcony, even in winter
Nandinas, mini shrubs and evergreen perennials: plants that stay attractive in pots all year round.
Frequently asked questions
No. It owes its nickname of sacred bamboo to its slender stems, but it is a shrub in the barberry family. It does not spread and stays in a clump.
It is a normal reaction to cold and light, from autumn to the end of winter. The foliage turns green again in spring with the new shoots. The more sun it gets, the brighter its red.
Yes, down to -15 °C. In a pot, the roots freeze before the leaves: during severe cold snaps, move the pot closer to a wall and wrap it in horticultural fleece.
Yes. All parts of it are toxic if ingested by cats, dogs, birds and children. Keep it out of reach of pets that chew leaves.
Delivered in a 17 cm pot, it should be repotted into a frost-resistant pot 25 to 30 cm in diameter, with drainage holes. A mature 'Gulf Stream' or 'Lemon Lime' will later need 35 to 40 cm.
Well planted
The right pot for your nandina
Frost-resistant pots with drainage holes, from 25 to 40 cm, to settle it on the balcony for the long term.
