Nandina Companion Plants

Creating a beautiful garden bed often starts with a great focal point, and Nandina domestica is a popular choice for its year-round interest. Choosing the right nandina companion plants is key to building a vibrant garden bed that looks good in every season.

Nandina, also called heavenly bamboo, offers colorful foliage, delicate flowers, and bright berries. But it can look a bit stiff or lonely on its own. The right companions soften its form, add contrasting textures, and extend the visual appeal of your space. This guide will help you select plants that thrive in similar conditions and create stunning combinations.

This list focuses on plants that share nandina’s preferences for well-drained soil and mostly sunny to partly shaded locations. Consider these excellent partners for your garden beds.

Ornamental Grasses

Grasses add movement and a soft, flowing texture that contrasts perfectly with nandina’s upright, compound leaves. They are also low-maintenance and provide winter structure.

Blue Fescue (Festuca glauca): Its spiky, silvery-blue mounds create a beautiful color and form contrast at the base of nandina.
Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra): For shadier spots, its cascading golden or variegated foliage brightens the area and complements nandina’s red winter leaves.
Fountain Grass (Pennisetum): The arching form and feathery plumes add a layer of softness and late-season interest next to nandina’s berry clusters.

Perennials for Color and Foliage

These plants fill in the middle layer of the bed, offering blooms and interesting leaves. They help create a lush, full appearance throughout the growing season.

Heuchera (Coral Bells): With foliage colors from lime green to deep purple, Heuchera is a perfect year-round partner. The leaf shapes and colors pair wonderfully with nandina.
Hosta: In partial shade, large-leaved hostas provide a bold textural contrast. Their lush growth hides the sometimes-bare lower stems of nandina.
Salvia: Spikes of blue or purple flowers from Salvia ‘May Night’ or similar varieties look striking against nandina’s green or red foliage and attract pollinators.
Sedum (Stonecrop): Upright sedums like ‘Autumn Joy’ offer late summer blooms that transition in color, coordinating with nandina’s autumn berry and leaf show.

Evergreen Shrubs for Structure

These shrubs provide a solid backbone for your garden bed, ensuring there is always something green and interesting, even in the depths of winter.

Boxwood (Buxus): A classic, tidy boxwood hedge or globe provides a formal green structure that makes nandina’s more casual, colorful form really stand out.
Dwarf Conifers: Small junipers, spruces, or pines add unique shapes, textures, and often blue or gold tones that make the garden bed dynamic all year.
Azaleas & Rhododendrons: For acidic soils, these shrubs offer a spectacular spring bloom before nandina’s main summer and fall display takes center stage.

Spring Bulbs for Early Interest

Planting bulbs around your nandina ensures the garden wakes up with color long before the nandina itself begins its major growth cycle.

Daffodils, tulips, and crocus will bloom through and around the nandina. As the bulb foliage dies back, the expanding nandina leaves will help conceal it.

Ground Covers to Unify

Low-growing plants tie the bed together, suppress weeds, and protect the soil. They create a living mulch that enhances the overall design.

Liriope (Lilyturf): Tough and grass-like, liriope forms neat clumps with summer flowers and fall berries, echoing nandina’s form on a smaller scale.
Ajuga (Bugleweed): Offers dense mats of colorful foliage, often bronze or purple, and short spikes of blue flowers in spring.
Pachysandra: An excellent evergreen ground cover for shady areas where nandina might also be planted.

Designing Your Nandina Garden Bed

Knowing what to plant is half the battle. Here’s how to put it all together in a way that is both beautiful and functional.

Consider the Nandina Variety

First, identify your specific nandina. Dwarf varieties like ‘Firepower’ or ‘Gulf Stream’ stay small and are great for borders. Larger types like ‘Domestica’ can grow several feet tall and work as a backdrop. Your companion choices should scale accordingly.

Follow Basic Design Principles

Use these simple ideas to guide your layout.

Thrill, Fill, Spill: Use tall plants (thrill) behind or among nandina, mid-height plants (fill) around it, and trailing or low plants (spill) at the edges to soften the bed’s border.
Color Coordination: Play with nandina’s changing colors. Pair its summer greens with cool blues and purples. Highlight its fall reds with golds and oranges. Use evergreens for contrast.
Texture and Form: Combine fine textures (grasses) with coarse textures (hostas). Place rounded forms next to spiky ones. This creates visual tension that is pleasing to the eye.

Step-by-Step Planting Guide

Test Your Soil: Nandina prefers slightly acidic to neutral, well-drained soil. Amending with compost at planting time benefits all your plants.
Plan on Paper: Sketch your bed. Place nandina first, then arrange companion plants in groups of odd numbers (3, 5) for a natural look. Remember mature sizes to avoid overcrowding.
Prepare the Bed: Remove weeds and grass. Loosen the soil deeply and mix in several inches of compost or aged manure.
Plant: Dig holes twice as wide as the root ball but no deeper. Place the plant, backfill, and water thoroughly. Apply a 2-3 inch layer of mulch around all plants, keeping it away from stems.
Watering Schedule: Water deeply and regularly for the first growing season to establish strong roots. Once established, nandina and its recommended companions are quite drought-tolerant.

What to Avoid Planting With Nandina

Not every plant is a good neighbor. Avoid these combinations to prevent problems.

Water-Loving Plants: Avoid plants that need constantly moist soil, like some ferns or astilbe, as they can lead to root rot for nandina.
Aggressive Spreaders: Some mint or bamboo varieties can quickly overtake a bed and compete too vigorously with your nandina for resources.
Very Large Shade Trees: Deep, dense shade from trees like maples can limit flowering and berry production on nandina, and reduce the vigor of many sun-loving companions.

Care Tips for a Thriving Bed

A little maintenance goes a long way in keeping your designed garden bed looking its best.

Pruning: Prune nandina in late winter to remove old canes at the base and shape the plant. This encourages new, colorful growth. Prune companions as needed for their health.
Fertilizing: A light application of a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early spring is usually sufficient for the entire bed. Avoid over-fertilizing, which can reduce berry set on nandina.
Mulching: Refresh the mulch layer each spring to conserve moisture and suppress weeds. This is one of the best things you can do for garden health.
Seasonal Check-ins: In fall, observe what colors are present and think about if you’d like more early spring or late fall interest for next year. Gardening is an evolving process.

FAQ

What grows well with nandina?
Many plants grow well with nandina, including ornamental grasses like blue fescue, perennials like heuchera and salvia, evergreen shrubs like boxwood, and spring bulbs.

Where is the best place to plant nandina?
Plant nandina in a spot with full sun to partial shade, in well-drained soil. It adapts to many conditions but colors best with more sun.

What are good companion plants for heavenly bamboo?
Good companions for heavenly bamboo (another name for nandina) are those with contrasting form and texture, such as liriope, hostas, dwarf conifers, and sedum.

How do you make a nandina bushier?
To make it bushier, prune about one-third of the oldest canes down to the ground in late winter. This encourages new, dense growth from the base.

Is nandina invasive in my area?
Some nandina cultivars can be invasive in certain regions, spreading by seed. Check with your local extension service. To be safe, choose sterile cultivars like ‘Firepower’ or ‘Gulf Stream’ that don’t produce berries.

By carefully selecting nandina companion plants, you build a garden community where each plant supports and enhances the others. The result is a vibrant garden bed that offers changing beauty month after month, with less work for you. Start with one or two combinations you love and expand from there, watching your garden come to life.