Digging will absolutely wait until spring. As that time gets closer I will have to figure out exactly when is best(right before growth shows/as new growth shows/just past final frost). For now I am trying to do all of my planning so I am ready when weather permits. I also didn't mean to say I "wouldn't bother" if it didn't style well. I want to make sure I am trimming in the right direction to get favorable results. If the nandina mostly rebuds right beneath the cut I am just going to be limited to the uprights or maybe a broom style. I have not done a complete trim to final shape yet so my visualization is not so strong. Worst case I have a few to work with so I will try a couple different things and keep notes.

hi! sent you an email. Thanks! Belinda

from the link below: Gardeners heave a sigh of relief when they learn that Nandina domestica is not related to bamboo, thinking that they�ve chosen a plant that isn't invasive. But as Master Gardeners, it behooves us to remain aware of what can happen when plants escape the confines of our own backyards, and consider all the ways in which plants can be "invasive." Think purple loosestrife. Think ivy. Many people are now choosing not to plant Nandina domestica because it's turned out to like its adopted home in the Western hemisphere all too well. The State of Florida carries it in Category I of its list of plants that are invading and disrupting native plant communities. The introduction to their list states, This definition does not rely on the economic severity or geographic range of the problem, but on the documented ecological damage caused. The US Forest Service has classified Nandina domestica as a Category 2 threat in the forests of the southeastern regions of the United States. It is not on any lists here, yet, or at least none of which I�m aware. But Nandina domestica, as attractive and as useful a landscape ornamental as it may be, is in fact an invasive plant pest in some areas of the country. Proper berry management�a serious sounding version of "get them before the birds do" is suggested as a precaution. The single most important thing we can do as responsible stewards is to remain aware and ever mindful that what we do in our gardens and outside of them, as well has an impact on something else, somewhere. We're each of us responsible for making the most informed choices we can make. Me, I still have three Heavenly Bamboo plants in my yard. But I'll be beating the birds to the berries and letting others know in presentations, that the case of Nandina domestica reminds us that "invasiveness" has a meaning more broad than one bamboo rhizome uprooting a driveway. ====== >>>> in other posts.. amy has admitted being a total newbie in the garden .... i guess i am going a bit further in the invasive argument .. to teach her something ... i understand that what is invasive in FL... the prior link .. may not be invasive for her in PA ... but i feel that we should serve up some learning for her ... just because she can buy it locally.. or mail order it ... does not mean.. that just because it is pretty ... or just because its berries will feed the birdies .. means the decision is willy nilly made to plant it .... good luck ken ps: and i am still not sure that i would plant something called a bamboo.. which isnt a bamboo ... lol ... Here is a link that might be useful: note that they beat the birds to the berry harvest ... which is kinda the opposite of your idea of why you are planting a berry producing bush for the birds ....

I saw an article today that said it has become invasive in South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. If it is a problem north of us in Tennessee, I imagine it is a problem for all of Georgia, not just the southern part. I had to run errands this afternoon. I can't tell you how many businesses and drive-throughs I saw with berry-laden nandina planted in the parking lots. I passed a subdivision that had lined its brick wall with them. Once you start to notice, they are in cultivation everywhere.