Subject: Nandina

From: Scott Drake <[email-masked]>
Date: 28 Mar 1995 04:07:12 GMT

I just bought a small clump of nandina domestica (a dwarf variety that
turns bright red in the fall) and stuck it at the end of my perennial 
bed amongst some variegated liriope. Is THIS the hated invasive 
bamboo I hear folks speak of on this newsgroup? Do I yank it out now
and containerize it before it is too late?

And speaking of invasive, I also bought a tree wisteria from a nursery
here in town that was grafted (but I don't know what the stock is).
Should I also try potting it up in a container? If so, how large. (I'm
in Zone 6, KY)

Thanks for your advice!

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 28 Mar 95 09:10:27 -0600

> and containerize it before it is too late?

Nope.  You've got "Heavenly Bamboo", in the Berberidaceae (barberry family),
not one of the true bamboos, which are grasses.   I've seen Nandina get
a bit out of hand in southern California, but not to the extent that
some of the rhizomatous bamboos do!

> Should I also try potting it up in a container? If so, how large. (I'm

Hm.  Why do you want to pot it?  Is it not reliably hardy in the area?
I'm just back from a trip to Tennessee, and it appears do quite
nicely on its own there.

Kay Klier  [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Richard Campbell)
Date: 28 Mar 1995 15:43:24 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, Scott Drake <[email-masked]> writes:
|> I just bought a small clump of nandina domestica (a dwarf variety that
|> turns bright red in the fall) and stuck it at the end of my perennial 
|> bed amongst some variegated liriope. Is THIS the hated invasive 
|> bamboo I hear folks speak of on this newsgroup? Do I yank it out now
|> and containerize it before it is too late?
|> 
|> And speaking of invasive, I also bought a tree wisteria from a nursery
|> here in town that was grafted (but I don't know what the stock is).
|> Should I also try potting it up in a container? If so, how large. (I'm
|> in Zone 6, KY)

   Various nandinas are standard fare in the Dallas area for landscaping.
I have not noticed any of these varieties to be particularly invasive.  The
standard nandina will spread some but the majority of the dwarfs seem to be 
pretty tame.  We use Compacta, Nana, Harbor Dwarf, Moon Bay and more with
no problems.  Harbor Dwarf spreads but not so that it is invasive.

   I don't think you'll have a problem with the wisteria either.  They are
aggressive growers but not invasive.  They will grow rapidly and can
destroy lightweight trellises but you shouldn't have a problem with
them spreading everywhere.  I had one in a backyard in Clarksville, Indiana
near Louisville, Kentucky and it was quite content to climb the clothes line
post and do nothing else.

-- 
Rich Campbell
[email-masked]

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From: Steve Roys <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 10:05:31 -0500

> bamboo I hear folks speak of on this newsgroup?

No, it's not invasive and it's not even a bamboo, so don't worry about 
it spreading and taking over your garden.

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From: [email-masked] (Michael E. Matthews)
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 23:33:01 GMT

> and containerize it before it is too late?

No, nandina, sometimes called heavenly bamboo, is not really
bamboo. Real bamboo is what spreads  by underground runners and
is problematic. Nandina is a nice, easy-care bush.

Michael in Central Va

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From: Jennifer Stiller <[email-masked]>
Date: 30 Mar 1995 03:19:11 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> Richard Campbell,
[email-masked] writes:
>them spreading everywhere.  

What kind of wisteria do you have there?  I live next door to what may
well be the oldest wisteria in Pennsylvania (my 95-year-old neighbor
remembers that it was huge when she moved in in 1935) and it has roots
several inches thick in my yard which keep sending up foliage that tries
to take over my house and anything else it can climb.  It also makes lots
of seeds, all of which sprout.  They're not hard to weed out if you get
them during their first growing season, but after that their little tap
roots have headed home for China and they're pretty much there for life. 
My husband calls the stuff 'Yankee kudzu."
Jenny, near Philadelphia

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From: Jennifer Stiller <[email-masked]>
Date: 30 Mar 1995 03:19:11 GMT