PlantFiles: Dwarf Nandina
Nandina domestica 'Moyers Red'

I purchased this plant several years ago. It has similar characteristics to the standard Nandina domestica in that it is quite hardy and easy to grow, but this cultivar is (in my opinion) superior.

Moyer's Red never fails to have spectacular fall color in my zone (6b) from early fall and holds the color all the way through to spring. In spring it puts out a flush of new growth that looks very delicate and almost fern-like. The stems start out a bright green and age to a very pretty, deep burgundy-red. The summer foliage color is a mixture of chartreuse green (newer foliage) and mostly a nice medium to dark green (older foliage).

This plant is NOT a dwarf. It IS well behaved and has stayed in a single, compact clump but it would easily reach 6+ feet tall if I didn't prune it back once a year. The plant responds well to pruning and will put out a flush of fresh new growth in response to the pruning. The flowers are the standard creamy white and the berries that follow are a bright red. Both are showy and add to the overall appeal of this plant. I haven't had any seedlings pop up despite the large numbers of berries each year, so I'm of the opinion it's not as prolific as the species and probably won't be weedy.

I have this plant located in a southern exposure where it gets full sun for nearly the entire day. We had a fairly severe drought in 2007 and it not only roasted during the summer but received minimal watering and it still looked great. It's a tough but beautiful plant!

If you've had success propagating nandina using cuttings I'd appreciate your passing the info along to me. So far I haven't had any success. :-(