April 18, 2007
Out Comes the Heavenly Bamboo
More than 10 years ago, my husband and I planted new foundation shrubs at our home. We installed Carissa hollies fronted by a row of dwarf nandinas also known as heavenly bamboo. Both did quite well, but the more rapid growth of the nandinas quickly outpaced the hollies. For the last several years, I have looked at the nandinas that were almost as tall as the hollies and thought about removing them.
Over the last week, my industrious husband dug up all of those nandinas leaving a nice open edge in front of the hollies perfect for planting annuals and bulbs. 
I think for the summer, I’ll plant a low form of my favorite summer annual, zinnias. Zinnia ‘Thumbelina’ reaches about 6 inches while the Dreamland series grows 10 to 12 inches tall. When fall rolls around, I will plant several varieties of daffodils and perhaps some other bulbs such as grape hyacinths or Siberian squills.
Now we haven’t given up totally on those nandinas either. Like most gardeners, it’s hard for either me or my husband to toss a perfectly good plant on the compost pile. It’s not the best time to transplant nandinas, but we decided to give it a try. 
My husband planted most along a shady bank along the road in front of our house. If the nandinas survive the transplanting, they will help stabilize the area from erosion and add some color, especially in the winter. This variety doesn’t produce berries so there is no worry about the shrubs becoming invasive in this area.