Saturday, December 13, 2008

Pretty in Red Nandina's

Ah, nothing says Christmas is approaching like Red Berry's! I use red berry's in a lot of my decorations but with having indoor only cats, the berry's I use tend to not be real. The price one must pay for having pets.
Here in my Georgia Garden, I have Nandina plants. This Royal Princess was given to us by my parents in honor of our beloved kitty Skeeter. We called Skeeter our baby for almost 16 years when he left us to cross over the Rainbow Bridge.
We planted this Nandina by his resting spot and now when I am in the yard, I talk to the plant as if it were Skeeter. The squirrels occasionally strip a stem and either them or the birds eat the berry's each year. The plant is in full shade and seems to love this area as it is doing well. Slow to grow but still growing...
We also have other Nandina's in the yard but I have no idea what type as they were here when we purchased the house. We moved this one from the overcrowded front planter and it loves the new spot and gives us bright red leaves in the winter months.
The leaves are a vibrant deep color of red and once again, remind me that Christmas is just around the corner!
The 4 remaining Nandina in the front planters do not get as red as the one moved. I am thinking that the ones facing north and shaded by the porch and roof of the house need more sun in order to have more color. I sure do enjoy my PRETTY IN RED NANDINA'S, In the Garden...

35 comments:

  1. Gorgeous colours in your garden, Skeeter! The deep colour of the Nandinas --- striking!

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  2. Those red berries are beautiful and against the green really do look Christmas-y.

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  3. I think there must be a law that every yard in this area must have at least one Nandina. You would think that from the number of them planted. I am OK with that as I like Nandina. I think your unknown variety may be 'Firepower', which will likely never have flowers or fruit, but does have nice color especially if it is in full sun.

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  4. Skeeter,

    Nandina makes a great "memory plant" as it lives forever.

    From one Southerner to another -- we can't garden without our nandinas!

    I have white berried 'Alba' and the no-berried 'Moon Bay'. The deer are so desperate for food, they've been eating the nandina leaves. No worries, they will be fine again next spring and summer.

    The berries are nature's baubles! Great decorations.

    Cameron

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  5. Our nandinas were here when we bought our home, and they are still doing well. I, too, love the berries esp. at this time of year.

    Jan
    Always Growing

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  6. I'm a fan of them as well. I particularly like the needle thread leaf varieties. I have them on my porch-step-scape, in a pot with cranberries as a "mulch." The cranberries really make the red pop!

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  7. Good morning all! Pretty in red indeed. I am so glad everyone is liking these. Nandinas have somehow become passe in some circles. I love them! Yours are looking great Skeeter, very festive this time of year and I can't wait to see them in person too! Which reminds me....

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  8. I love these Nandinas! They certainly do look festive for the holidays, Skeeter. I've never seen them in a Midwest garden, so I'm not sure we can grow them here, what a pity.

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  9. Nandinas are one of my favorite plants. I love the color change of the leaves with the seasons. I love the papery feel and rustle of the leaves. I love that they are so easy to grow in my area. I love that they stay pretty in hot or cold weather. I love the berries, although many of mine are the non-berry variety!
    Blessings,
    Lorilee

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  10. Skeeter, I wondered about your name and just assumed it had something to do with one of the perks of southern living. You have given us a touching story for the season, and I will think of you now whenever I see a Nandina. Lovely!

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  11. I have a Nandina domestica - I think that is right anyway its also called a Sacred Bamboo here in the UK. Its very young at the moment so it will be interesting to see if it colours up like yours do.

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  12. What a pretty bush, I'm going to have to get the red berry kind. So wonderful to have in your yard this time of year.

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  13. They are wonderful evergreen additions to the garden Skeeter. I like your smaller ones, they look like 'Firepower' to me too. They have beautiful color at this time of the year.

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  14. Hello All,
    Great post Skeeter. I don't have this plant but it sure would look good in my garden. I like the red berries better. Also it would help feed the birds.

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  15. I am going to be my native loving gardening self and go against the flow and add that they don't look right in my practically all native garden! They are colorful in winter, but are too asian in look for a cedar glade garden! I do have a few in the not native section of the yard...gifts from the previous owner and I do bring them inside for Christmas. They are safely placed on the mantle away from King Coal. gail

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  16. Good Noon everyone! Getting a late start which seems to becoming a normal thing lately. Have I mentioned I have been busy? lol….

    Kanak, The deep red color is striking in the fall. A great reminder that Christmas is upon us.

    Beckie, Yep, nothing says Merry Christmas like red berries against a green backdrop!

    Les, I believe that to be a law in the business landscapes here also. :-) As a matter of fact, I bet the book reads, "All Business should have Nandina and Crepe Myrtle as staples".... lol.... I do like the color this time of year since I have so little and the name firepower makes sense with the fiery red color in fall....

    Cameron, White berries? How unique as I dont recall ever seeing white berries before on a Nandina! Our deer have never touched the Nandina but they are too busy eating the pansies to see them. lol. I love the Nandina as they are such an easy plant to grow even in a drought they thrive! A true Southern plant for sure...

    Jan, the berries do make a wonderful treat this time of year. I am glad we had the others in our yard when we purchased the house as I may have never known how carefree of a plant they were...

    Helen, your Cranberry and Nandina mix sounds intriguing! What a great idea. I really do enjoy the easy care of the Nandina...

    Tina, I know they are so popular that they loose their appeal to some but I really do like them. They are a great filler that dont take away too much from our J. maples beside them. Be sure to bring your rubber boots or flippers ;-) as the yard is pretty much a soggy wet mess from the so needed rain...

    Rose, Red berries are so festive this time of year. They are a great little bush to grow and so simple. A shame you could not grow them in the Midwest...

    Lorilee, you pretty much have summed up why I love them so much! They are great simple carefree plants with such impact this time of year. From red berries to the red leaves...

    Walk2write, Tina once posted on my Skeeter name way back before I started to post topics on In the Garden. She posted a pic of my yellow boy in my arms when I was so much younger. One of my favorite pics with my baby boy. He was a perfect cat unlike my two monsters now. Not really, they are good too but Skeeter was perfect as he was a great traveler (they are not) and adapted to any situation with understanding. As if a human! We still miss that boy and chat with him often in the backyard...

    Patientgardener, Bamboo Nandina? How interesting to be called a bamboo but it does have an Asian flare about it especially the Royal Princess plant. It will be a learning experience for you as it has for me to watch them grow...

    Dawn, with your crafting skills, you defiantly need this one for the berries! I wish I could bring the berries inside and decorate with all fresh fruit, pine and cedar but the cats will not allow that. One big barf of a mess for me to constantly clean up. lol....

    Racquel, I do think they are Firepower as you and Les say as they do put on a fire show! Great plant to have for the color this time of year both berries and leaves...

    Lola, I spotted one of these in Charleston beside a hotel that was really large so they do get big in time. But mine seems to grow slowly for some reason. Maybe lack of sun but where I have it, I like it staying a smaller size. So keep this in mind if you do decide to add one to your garden. I know what happened with your azaleas and we dont want a Nandina taking over your house! lol...

    Gail, Well Gail, there is one in every bunch! lol giggle giggle.... I know they are not a native by any means but with all the Nandina you see around here, you would think they are! I mean they are everywhere. King Coal, I like that. I am looking out the window as I type and see the neighbors new kitten OJ curled up on the bales of pine straw that have yet to be spread by me. He thinks they were piled under the boat shed for his own personally use. Those kitties, gotta love em...

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  17. I love nandina's but don't own a one! We planted several 25 years ago, and lost every one! And they are so hardy! The fall color is the prettiest!m

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  18. skeeter,

    If it had to be someone I am glad it was me! Coal is the KIng! He rules our household magnificently! Gail

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  19. Skeeter--Your nandina are gorgeous--you've found the right spot for them. I've never found that spot, though I could sure use some of that color these days!

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  20. Your nandinas look very nice Skeeter. I think they are way over planted in our area and should be more of a feature plant like the one's in your first picture are. I have four extra nandinas that came from our big one. Volunteers and offshoots that shooting too far off!

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  21. Good Evening everyone. The Saint and I have been in the yard working in a soggy mess. More leaves to deal with and I can still see some in the trees. Arg, does it ever end??? We spread the rest of the pine straw so all the planters and crepe myrtles have a warm coat for the winter....

    Meadowview, What do you think happed to your Nandina? They are so easy to maintain as I do pretty much nothing to them. The fall and winter reds are great...

    Gail, too funny. Our girls pretty much rule our roost also. Not much is done around here without their approval. They are good snuggle’s though so I cannot complain :-)…

    Cosmo, You should keep trying for that perfect spot! They do brighten up my dull yard this time of year. Thank goodness for them and some green or we would have no color at all right now...

    Dave, They are in pretty much every landscaping project around business’s here. I am sure them being cheap and easy to maintain are the main reasons why we see so many. I do like the way the one is growing by itself in the single planter. I have not seen any shoots from ours. Hey with shoots, you dont have to propagate :-)...

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  22. They are lovely and do speak of Christmas. I grow holly for the birds and for December decorating.
    It is such a joy getting to know you and your gardens.
    Sherry

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  23. The same here Sherry. Thanks very much from all of here at In the Garden.

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  24. Sherry, Thank you! Blogging is a great way to get to know people... A lot of us seem to think of Christmas with red berries. I have holly also but it has yet to produce any berries. I have a posting coming up soon so stayed tuned...

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  25. Tina get off here and do your laundry. tee hee...

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  26. I love the winter color of your nandinas Ms. Skeeter.

    Funny name, "nandina," sounds like the name of a tropical fruit. :~)

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  27. TC, thank you! I do enjoy their colors in the fall and the ease of growth in the summer months. I think Nandina would make a nice name for a female but then again, maybe not as someone may give the nickname of nanny... :-)

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  28. i am ashamed to say I dont believe i ever heard of this before. But is is certainly pretty...thanks for bring it to my attention.

    Sondra

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  29. It is a very pretty plant and the color in the winter must be so great!!!. I love the one that is not all red as the red and green looks so good together.

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  30. Sondra, They are all over the place down here in the deep south! So easy to take care of and I think that is why so many of them. Low growers also so used a lot in landscaping for businesses as they dont hide the buildings or signs. Pretty color in the fall...

    Jean, the red and green do look great together and really speak of Christmas colors! Such an easy little bush to grow...

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  31. Wow, I love the nandinas, too. Not only the berries but the red foliage color. (Yes, plants need full sun to get the full fall color.) They're one zone out of my hardiness range, but if I can find one, I might just try it. I've been known to try to push zones before. And for some odd reason (knock wood), no cat who has ever lived with me bothers my indoor plants. BTW, I talk to my plants, too, especially recently transplanted shrubs. I've been encouraging along a purple smokebush for some years now, even showing it a photo of a glorious large specimen as inspiration. Ahem.
    ~ Monica

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  32. Garden Faerie, I have been known to talk to plant but showing them a picture is a new one to me. I may try that with frail looking plants in the future! :-) It must be the sun or lack of with the not so red nandina’s as that is the only difference in them...

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  33. What a striking plant! I'm up here in MA, on the east coast, just a teeny bit jealous that we can't cultivate this handsome plant. /Deb

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  34. Hi Skeeter, the berries are so cheering and really stand out in the winter garden. I am trying hard not to say anything negative, but they are a problem in my neighborhood. The seedlings that are spread by the feeding birds crop up everywhere in every bed, but are easy to identify and pull out. This was a shrub that I loved growing up at my parent's house. I tried to grow it in my very first house of my own in PA, bringing one back from OKLA and couldn't get it to live. I have left the ones in the woods under the pine trees to grow, but would not plant new ones. Daughter Semi has that firepower, pretty foliage but no berries.
    Frances

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  35. Deb, dont be jealous as there are many things that you have up there that will not survive down here. :-) That is the beauty of blogging as we can all enjoy each others pretties through pictures!

    Frances, I have yet to find seedlings of this popping up. I dont know why either as several have mentioned the sprouting problem. Hum, maybe my birds munch then poop in the woods. lol. It is funny how we all try to grow our beloved this or that in all of our gardens when we move, Only to find they will let us down. I like Gails method of native plantings as that seems to work so much better in a garden. But some things must find their way into my garden no matter what. So many memories to not plant certain things like Grandma’s favorite peony!

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