Other Names:  Japanese Princess Nandina, Heavenly Bamboo

Description:

A colorful, open evergreen shrub, featuring green foliage that changes to burgundy in late spring, progressing to orange-red in fall; pinkish-white flowers are followed by a heavy set of red berries; excellent in mass plantings for landscape color

Ornamental Features

Royal Princess Nandina has masses of beautiful clusters of shell pink flowers with white overtones at the ends of the branches from late spring to early summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has attractive burgundy evergreen foliage which emerges forest green in spring. The small glossy pointy bipinnately compound leaves are highly ornamental and turn outstanding shades of red and orange in the fall, which persists throughout the winter. It features an abundance of magnificent red berries from mid fall to late winter. The smooth bark and brick red branches are extremely showy and add significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Royal Princess Nandina is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Suckering

Royal Princess Nandina is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Royal Princess Nandina will grow to be about 8 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.

This shrub performs well in both full sun and full shade. However, you may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under average home landscape conditions. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets.

Royal Princess Nandina makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.