I have this Nandina I got from my sister. We thought it was a house plant, but apparently it's outsideable. I've been looking for something like this for my garden and I want it to be happy, so I've decided to put it outside. Am I safe just sticking it out there? It's getting into the 80's every day now, and the plant has been in a grocery store. If not, help me know how to safely harden it to plant outdoors.
I have never seen a nandina potted and sold as a houseplant, so that's a first!
There are several different varieties of nandinas from dwarf shrubs to 8 foot tall shrubs - it doesn't matter - they all are hardy in zones 6-9 and do quite well outdoors - they thrive in both full sun and part-shade and can survive with very little supplemental water. The tall varieties produce red berries in the late fall/early winter that are quite attractive, but these varieties can become invasive and spread if not kept under control.
I'd put your new plant outdoors and allow it to get established in the ground before winter starts in your zone.
Ok! Out she goes. I'm planting it today. :D
plant it in a place where you won't mind many many babies if it turns out to be the tall, berry bearing form. I pulled all mine out two years ago and I am still pulling out the offspring.
PS if you do get berries - you can use them in wreaths and they will last for many months before falling.
Nice! I planted it it a place it has lots of room. :) Thanks everyone. She's in the ground now. :D
Sounds like I may have got here too late...but if the plant was living inside a grocery store and then inside your house, it is probably not used to the higher light levels that it'll be exposed to outdoors, and you can wind up with sunburned leaves if you all of a sudden put it somewhere that it's getting a lot more sun than it was used to. It's better to adjust things to the sun gradually. If it's in a shady spot then it probably won't be an issue, but if it's got some sun where you planted it you may have some problems--might help if you can rig up some shade for it for a little while.
Berries are known to be poisonous to kitties! But birds love them!
It's very hard to hurt a nandina - even if it loses some leaves, they should grow back quickly and do well. I think Crackerlady's plant will do just fine wherever she put it.
The birds don't touch ours here.
Good thing or I'd really have a nandina forest!
It's been cool and cloudy here the last little while. We haven't gotten up into the 90s yet, so I'll just chance it. If it dies, I'll just have to look for another one and try again. :) Thank you everyone for your suggestions. - If the berries are poisonous to kitties, they probably kill the birds too, right? It seems like it would. Anyway, I don't have a cat, so I won't worry about it. :)
I don't think it'll die--I've had plants that size get sunburned and they look ugly for a while but typically come back fine. But if you want to avoid that extra stress on it then giving it a little shade if you get some sunnier weather could help prevent the sunburn.
Ok. Thank you for your help!
the birds are immune to the toxin in the seeds/berries.
Oh, I see.
