Choosing Planting

Sacred Bamboo: The Most Beautiful Nandinas to Grow in Pots

To beautify the terrace or balcony

Contents

Modified the Tuesday 3 June 2025 by Ingrid 5 min. Difficulty: Medium

The Nandina domestica, also known as sacred bamboo, is a small ornamental bush with evergreen foliage, graphic and colourful all year round. Despite its nickname, it is not a bamboo, but rather a bush originating from Asia and Japan. Ideal for small spaces, it thrives particularly well in pots, on a terrace or balcony, where it displays its changing colours and very elegant rounded silhouette.

Undemanding, the nandina enjoys sunny or partially shaded exposures and withstands cold well (down to around -10 to -15°C in pots). Thanks to its moderate growth, it easily finds its place in a large pot, either alone or combined with other plants.

Discover our selection of 7 compact varieties of Nandina to grow in pots.

→ Olivier and Virginie also present some interesting varieties in this video:

Difficulty

Nandina domestica ‘Fire Power’: a dwarf sacred bamboo with fiery colours

A true star among dwarf Nandinas, ‘Fire Power’ is an outstanding choice for container growing. Its evocative name hints at its fiery display: in autumn, its foliage blazes with deep red-purple hues, as if set alight! This spectacle lasts throughout winter, brightening even the greyest corners of your terrace.

In spring, its young shoots emerge in coppery-red tones. By summer, its foliage mellows into entirely soft green, sometimes with a slight blue tint, forming a dense, neat cushion. This sacred bamboo forms a compact mound reaching 60 cm in all directions. It requires no special care beyond regular watering, as like all Nandinas, it dislikes drought.

Planting ideas: Try pairing it with a purple heuchera or blue fescue for striking foliage contrast, or tuck it into a planter with winter-flowering pansies or hellebores to extend the colourful display into spring.

Foliage of Nandina domestica 'Fire Power' in autumn and summer

Left: Nandina ‘Fire Power’ in autumn, right: its summer foliage

Nandina domestica ‘Twilight’: A luminous variegated foliage for containers

If you’re looking for a Nandina that stands out from the crowd, ‘Twilight’ is the one for you. This variety brings a touch of light with its variegated foliage of green and creamy white. In spring, its young shoots emerge in soft pinkish-cream hues, reminiscent of shrimp willow. It’s a plant full of grace and elegance, perfect for adding freshness to an east or west-facing balcony.

In July, delicate white flowers appear, later giving way to scarlet berries during the colder season. With slow growth, it reaches 1 metre in height at ripeness and about 50 cm in width, making it very well-suited for growing in large pots.

Pairing ideas: ‘Twilight’ pairs beautifully with darker foliage like that of Heuchera ‘Obsidian’, or alternatively, in a bright colour scheme with Carex ‘Everest’ and some white campanulate flowers for a luminous composition.

The spring foliage of Nandina 'Twilight' in pink and creamy white

Nandina domestica ‘Twilight’. Left: its spring foliage in pink and white, right: its summer foliage in green and variegated cream

Nandina domestica ‘Blush Pink’: A Sacred Bamboo with Rosy Shoots

‘Blush Pink’ is a recent variety of sacred bamboo that captivates with its remarkable green spring shoots, tinged with coppery pink at the tips. This delicate hue brings a truly original touch to a garden, terrace or balcony. As the season progresses, the foliage turns light green, then takes on bright red hues, even coppery tones in autumn, offering a beautiful gradient of colours throughout the year.

This nandina remains compact, forming a dense clump 70 to 80 cm in all directions. It is perfect for container growing, whether as a standalone feature or in a composition.

Planting companions: pair it with a bronze carex or a hardy geranium with pink flowers, or opt for soft contrast with an Euphorbia ‘Ascot Rainbow’ for a luminous and refined display.

The colourful foliage of Nandina domestica Blush Pink

Nandina domestica ‘Blush Pink’. Left: its young green and pink foliage in spring, right: the autumnal hues of its leaves.

Nandina domestica ‘Lemon Lime’: Lemon-Lime Foliage to Brighten Your Containers

With ‘Lemon Lime’, let there be light! This variety charmswith its young lemon-green leaves, which contrast beautifully with the medium green of its older foliage. No red hues here, but a lovely brightness that lasts. However, flowering is rare in ‘Lemon Lime’. It’s the perfect variety if you want to brighten up a shady corner of your balcony or break the monotony of an all-green foliage.

At maturity, this nandina will slowly form a compact bush of around 60 to 70 cm in height and width, ideal for medium or large pots.

Pairing ideas: opt for dark foliage, like that of a purple phormium, or blue flowers (such as lobelia or Salvia ‘Mystic Spires’) to create a striking contrast.

The light green to yellow foliage of Nandina domestica Lemon Lime

The bright lemon-green foliage of Nandina domestica ‘Lemon Lime’

Nandina domestica ‘Obsessed’: A Colourful and Structural Sacred Bamboo

The Nandina domestica ‘Obsessed’, also known as ‘Seika’, is a compact bush that offers a changing display of colours throughout the year. In spring, its young shoots showcase a vibrant red hue, evolving into a deep green in summer, then turning purple in autumn. This seasonal transformation brings constant visual dynamism to your terrace or balcony.

Reaching approximately 1 metre in height and 80 cm in width, ‘Obsessed’ is ideal for container growing. Its upright and dense habit makes it an excellent choice for structuring a small outdoor space.

Planting ideas: Pair it with ornamental grasses, such as Pennisetum, for contrasting textures, or with summer-flowering perennials like coneflowers to extend harmonious colour tones.

Nandina domestica ‘Obsessed’

Nandina domestica ‘Gulf Stream’: a robust and decorative container variety (Note: The botanical name remains unchanged as per standard practice. The term "variété" has been translated as "variety" in accordance with the provided glossary. The description maintains the original tone while adapting to British English conventions.)

‘Gulf Stream’ is a reliable choice. It offers the perfect balance of moderate height, decorative foliage and hardiness. Its foliage changes with the seasons, shifting from purplish-pink in spring, to bronze-green in summer, then to a blazing orange-red in autumn and winter, providing a colourful display all year round. In early summer, it produces panicles of small white flowers, sometimes followed by bright red berries that persist through winter, adding an extra decorative touch.

Its mature size reaches around 1 metre in height and 80 cm in width. With a bushy, rounded habit, it’s perfect for container growing on a terrace or balcony. Its slow growth and cold resistance make it a robust choice for various climates.

Planting companions: it pairs beautifully with winter heather, Lenten rose, or blue fescue for a display rich in textures and soft colours.

Nandina domestica ‘Gulf Stream’

Nandina domestica ‘Filamentosa’: an original sacred bamboo for collectors

Attention rarity lovers! The Nandina ‘Filamentosa’ stands out with its exceptionally fine foliage. Its appearance is airy and light, almost Japanese-inspired. Less well-known than others, it deserves your full attention if you’re seeking originality and clean lines. In summer, it bears panicles of white flowers, which develop into clusters of red fruits.

Its growth is modest, reaching around 90 cm in height, with a similar spread. It displays the same seasonal colour shifts as its cousins: orange-pink in spring, yellow-green in summer, finishing with deep red-purple, verging on violet, in autumn.

Pairing ideas: enhance it with delicate ornamental grasses like Stipa, or play with contrasting textures using a hosta or broad-leaved fern. However, its silhouette will be best showcased when planted solitary, where it takes on the appearance of an unconventional bonsai.