Nandina domestica 'FIREPOWER' heavenly bamboo

Nandina originally comes from India, China and Japan but this variety is a smashing introduction from New Zealand. It is called Firepower and shows various colours of leaves throughout the year. Common name heavenly bamboo refers to its crinkly leaves that really whisper like papery bamboo when touched.

Firepower (syn. Fire Power) is a name that says much. Evergreen leaves are 3-pinnate with lance-shaped or nearly ovate individual leaflets. Their colour is soft or lime green when young, changing to coppery orange and/or scarlet red at the end of summer, and fiery red, and/or burgundy red in the autumn. This colour remains until spring. The “and/or” holds for slight variations that may change with situation.

Our nandina shows not only different colours in every season, it also has 2 different leave shapes on one plant. While older leaves are wider and partly glossy, new ones are very thin, thread-like, maturing takes quite a few months, and usually come out deep burgundy red. If the foliage is damaged through a severe winter don’t worry, the plant will reliably make new leaves in the spring. It grows very slowly, making a neat, compact, and very dense, low shrub. In 20 years it will not be taller than some 80 cm. Grow it in fertile, always moist but well-drained soil, with mulched roots, in full sun. Hardy to min. -20°C, or -24°C on a sheltered site (USDA zone 6).

Last update 27-12-2008