The weather around that time was surprisingly moderate—mid-60s to 70ish, no precipitation. For that matter, January and February this year seemed mostly pretty springy, with February staying moderate except for about February 8 and 9, when wintery weather came for a short visit.
Took a few pix, then created a composite. Being pretty ignorant about plants, I posted the image to LinkedIn and requested ID help. Happily for me, a connection shortly replied and IDed it as "nandina", enthusiastically embracing its ever greenness and presence in her yard.
That enthusiasm and ID at that time sent me off web-hunting A Google search for "nandina" returned numerous hits that allude to poisonous and invasive properties. Hmmm, maybe nandina has both fans and haters. More on that later.
About a week or so ago, I ran across a copy of native plant species that a blogger friend of mine provided for one of the annual nearby nature walks. One item was "Nandina, heavenly bamboo — Nandina domestica", in the category of "Some Alien Invasive Plant Species ...". ("Alien" and "Invasive" in the same breath don't sound complimentary to me.)
"What Are the Different Types of Nandina Shrubs?" provides a good overview of the plant.
The shrubs are also called heavenly bamboo due to their upright shoots, which resemble those of bamboo, but in fact they're no relation. In U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 9, where nandina shrubs grow year-round, they can become invasive. ... To help prevent nandinas from taking over your yard, grow nonfruiting varieties. … Nandina leaves and berries are toxic and may be harmful to birds, humans, grazing animals and cats.
"Nandina domestica Heavenly Bamboo" provides both positive and negative points. (BTW, the site's pic at the left side shows just the berries and leaves that are very similar to my pic.)
Good and not Ugly (Upside)
Nandina spreads slowly by underground stems, providing attractive clumps for entryways, containers, or as specimen plantings in a ground cover. They also add an accent to the front of a shrub border when planted in groups or clumps.
Nandina is a low maintenance shrub, requiring only one pruning each year to control plant height, if needed.
Bad (Downside)
Plants have been reported as invasive into selected natural areas in Florida and other southern states.
"Nandina domestica (Heavenly Bamboo)" echoes a similar downside sentiment: "Native to Japan, China and India. Plants tend to be invasive in some southern states".
"Nandina (Nandina domestica)" is a two-minute video that provides good basic description and images of the plant. It, like several resources I've run across, mention the invasiveness.
"Heavenly Bamboo" provides description, pictures, and care information. No downside info. Wonder why? It's a plant vendor. Gave me pause to see the price—$69, considering the one I spotted was growing wild and free.
Additional Resources
- "Nandina domestica Heavenly bamboo" heavily describes the plant's physical characteristics, propagation means, toxicity to some animals, and difficulty in controlling it. Note the website's name includes "invasives".
- "Why nandina berries and certain birds don't mix" provides good basic info about nandina with a bit more specifics about the cedar waxwing bird's eating habits that make the berries more dangerous for them than most other animals. The embedded video describes the berries and leaf shape and configuration for those of us curious non-botanists.
- "Just Try To Kill Nandina!" is an entertaining article that the author seems to both grudgingly admire the nandina for its beauty, yet also disdain the plant's tenacity for survival and propagation.
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