frankie, we are about to pull out about 50 linear feet of dwarf nandinas that have invaded the front beds over a period of two or three years. The shrubs were fine as long as someone was keeping a very close eye on them. Our gardener got busy with some other jobs and didn't keep up with the pruning and sucker growth and the end result is that we're now removing them all. So, I would say that it is not the variety of nandina that determines invasive spread, but the degree of watchfulness---e.g. lack of it--- by whoever is taking care of them. Any suggestions for low, mounding shrub would be most welcome, btw... I am in central Georgia and would like something flowering or with berries. Considering a dwarf Indian Hawthorne but open to ideas. Thanks--

Based on your previous post, I think you are under the impression that this is a "bad" plant because it suckers out of control. Actually the invasive nature of this plant is due to the berries. Birds eat them and poop them out into natural places, that is how it spreads. It is considered a Category 2 invasive in the Southeast, including Virginia. I think that Pieris 'Mountain Fire' is a great 4 season interest plant. Although the plant's mature size can be bigger than 4 feet wide, it is very slow growing so I think you can easily keep it in check. If you prefer a dwarf form, there are some such as Pieris japonica ÂCavatineÂ. There is also a variegated one.

This is probably a better choice than a Yew, which is much faster growing to get large, and in a narrow space, will ultimately get much too large for the spot. I'd suggest that you might want to incorporate a deep root watering tube when you plant, so you can encourage it to follow the water and root more deeply. They generally don't tend to be a problem with roots and foundations and paving, but the trunk of this will ultimately get quite thick over the years. I wonder if something like one of the taller forms of Nandina domestica might not be a better choice if you like the look? Another slower growing Podocarpus that is attractive and relatively slow growing is the Podocarpus latifolius or P. 'Icee Blue' from Monrovia. Similar to the Podocarpus macrophyllus maki, but probably smaller over the long term.

How about daylilies? They would give you Spring and Summer blooms and you could choose their colors to compliment the nandinas. Since most daylillies disappear over Winter I would also plant wintergreen (gaultheria procumbens) as a ground cover to give you something to look at in Winter too. Gaultheria looks beautiful with nandinas, IMO, and would provide you with a lovely outlook in Winter as well as Summer. Eduarda