Beautiful plant, but be very careful. It can be extremely difficult to remove from unwanted areas. A raised border planter won't necessarily be sufficient to contain spread--it can send rhizomes down and then laterally. (Picture down a raised planter and under a 3-4' concrete walkway.) If brave enough, I would put it in a solid bottomed planter with just drainage holes below, on top of solid concrete. And then be very careful with the pruning pieces. Definitely do not reuse the soil. I love the look of the plant, but don't dare introduce it into my CA garden.

If you let it go to seed it will be all over your garden.

^^^ I've posted on this topic before. The notion that nandina kills off birds is grossly overstated. Like a great many other plants - pretty much any Prunus species, pyracantha, hawthorn, lots of Rosaceae - nandina berries contain cyanide. If consumed in quantity, they can kill off birds, other wildlife.....and humans! Most birds are smart enough to know that a few berries won't bother them. But cedar waxwings in particular are either dumb enough or so greedy they will strip the plant bare!! And the issue only seems to affect cedar waxwings. No other bird species seems to be overly affected by nandina berries or other cyanide containing fruits, berries or seeds. This has been very well documented, so no need to overreact and rush out and pull any nandina in your garden. Unless you live where it is considered invasive. And there are even cultivars that rarely ever flower or produce berries so even invasiveness can be a moot point. Nandina Berries and Cedar Waxwings Are Nandina Berries Poisonous to Birds

Thanks. The Ulmus was apparently raised since a seedling and was pruned every year for the past 8 years until the person gave it up, now I'll have to plant it somewhere.