Nandina ‘Firepower’
Dwarf nandina 'Firepower' in winter.
* Common name: Dwarf heavenly bamboo ‘Firepower’
* Botanical name: Nandina domestica ‘Firepower’
* What it is: A compact, broad-leafed evergreen that gets red-tinged new leaves in spring, then stays light green all summer. Foliage turns bright red in fall and holds that color most of winter. No fruits.
* Size: 3 feet tall and wide.
* Where to use: Versatile in full sun to mostly full shade and so can be used most anywhere a compact evergreen is needed – foundations, lining a walkway, underneath trees and interplanted with flowers in mixed gardens. Reasonably tolerant of tree-root competition.
* Care: Keep damp the first season, then water usually not needed. Work compost into soil at planting, then fertilizer usually not needed. Trim off any browned-out foliage or dead branch tips at end of winter but don’t cut whole way to ground.
* Great partner: Golden variegated Japanese forest grass or Bowles golden sedge.