Shrubs - Nandina
Back to Shrubs

  (January) We have several Nandina shrubs around the foundation of our home. They are very tall for the most part. Can they be trimmed back or will that totally stunt their growth, or worse yet, kill them? I have cut the tops off {not totally}, mostly for the berries and used them in arrangements during the holidays. That doesn't seem to bother them. However some of them are quite leggy with growth and berries only at the top. I would appreciate your input and advice.

  Nandina's benefit from occasional pruning. Improper pruning is the cause of your legginess. Nandina's are cane producing plants. They don't have one main trunk with branches arising from that. Instead they have multiple stems. They should be thinned at the base. If only top-pruning is done on nandina, it results in woody base stems, and foliage clustered only at the top. I think nandina's are in their glory in the fall and winter, so I would enjoy them this winter, and prune this spring. Remove up to one half of the older woody stems at the soil line. This will still leave taller canes with foliage up high, but should initiate new growth from the base, giving you a fuller, more lush plant.

  (January) My 'Fire Power' Nandina's have been planted for two years and look skimpy, especially around the bottom of the plants. What can I do to make them fuller? They have been fertilized. I have noticed the miniature nandinas planted at businesses seem to sit in the ground for years and never look healthy.

  By the very nature of dwarf plants, they are slow growing. Nandinas are often used as winter interest for their outstanding red or orange foliage. They are multi-caned plants and can be encouraged to grow fuller by pruning. You really have two options. One would be to shear them completely to the ground prior to new growth beginning. Lightly fertilize, and they should send up a myriad of new growth and give you fuller--yet shorter plants (at least the first season). The second option would be to selectively thin them out, removing up to one half of the canes close to the soil line. This should also encourage new sprouts, giving you full foliage at the top and bottom. Nandinas are usually tough plants. The only thing they don't like is wet, poorly drained soils. The 'Fire Power' nandina should be no taller than two feet at maturity, and typically no wider than 1-2 feet.

  (June) I have two dwarf nandina's that have grown larger than I want. Can these be trimmed back over all the plant? If so, when is the best time to trim them? Also, is it too late to trim boxwoods? I usually trim them in early spring and again in October, but I did not get around to pruning them yet this year.

  Dwarf nandina's typically don't need the severe pruning of larger shrubs, but if they are extremely overgrown you can prune them. Taking them all the way to the ground at the beginning of summer, may make for a slow recovery. Severe pruning is often best done in late winter to early spring, so we can catch that quick burst of growth in the spring. A light shaping or shearing on boxwoods would be fine at any time.

  (December) I have had a Nandina several years that I pull into the garage and cut back drastically. A neighbor would like a start of it. Can it be taken out of the pot and divided or should I wait until Spring and try to root shoots of new growth?

  I have never heard of nandinas being brought in for the winter. Nandinas are pretty tough plants, and I would think would have no problem, even in a container, to overwinter outdoors--provided it wasn't a small container. They could be divided if you want to, but I would wait for spring. If you need to repot in the spring, simply divide the plant in half or take some side shoots and you should have your new start. By bringing them inside and cutting back, you are missing out on the prettiest part of the nandina's growth cycle-the winter foliage color.

  I have several dwarf nandina bushes I planted two years ago. They were supposed to turn red in the winter. They did last year, but so far this year they are still green. My neighbor planted some last year and hers have never turned red. Are we supposed to use a certain kind of plant food? Please advise me what to do.

  Winter color can be variable, depending on variety and amount of sunlight. Those in more sun, typically turn a deeper red in the winter. The weather through early January was mild, and many plants retained fall foliage longer than normal, now that colder weather is here, you should see a better color change. Nutritional and pH levels can play a part in fall color, but nandinas are fairly tolerant of a wide range of conditions.

  Five years ago we had our yard landscaped. Large nandinas were planted close to the front of our home, with black plastic and rock on top. The trunks of these plants are tall and thin now, yet the foliage and berries are pretty. Last February, I cut one almost to the ground. It is about the height I want it now. Is it advisable to prune these plants this severely and is now the time to do it?

  Nandinas are cane-producing plants, and tend to grow tall and leggy over time, if they aren’t pruned. To keep them a more manageable size, and to insure foliage all the way to the bottom of the plants, remove one-third of the older canes each year at the bottom. This will encourage new growth at the base of the plant, and limit plant height. Since yours have not been pruned, you have two options. One, is start pruning this season, with one-third to one-half of the canes removed each year until the plant is renovated, or do what you did last season, and chop them all down and start over. With either option, late February to early March is the advisable time to do this to allow for quick recovery. Nandinas are tough plants, and should recover quickly.

  I have some really old nandina bushes that are way too tall and neglected. How far back can I prune them and what is the proper method? When is the appropriate time? I hate to say this, but I bet they haven’t been pruned in twenty years, and they are not attractive plants.

  Your nandina bushes probably are four or five feet tall with woody stems and all the foliage at the top. To control height and encourage new base growth, prune out one third to one half of the old canes, at the soil line. This should encourage new growth. Next spring, remove the other half. Or if you want to be really brave, chainsaw the whole bush down and start over. This is pretty extreme, and takes some recovery time, but it won’t hurt the bush.

  I have some Nandina bushes that are really multiplying as well as having volunteers coming up in the flower bed. When should these be trimmed back and when can those volunteers be transplanted?

  To me nandina’s are at their prettiest in the winter months when they have the red foliage and berries. I would wait and do the pruning in early spring. The correct way to prune a nandina is to thin out one third to one half of the older canes near the soil line. This should encourage new canes and give you foliage from top to bottom. Moving small sprouts can be done either spring or fall. If you do it this month, be sure to mulch heavily for extra winter protection.

Back to Shrubs