Nandina domestica Sunrise - Sacred Bamboo

The Sacred Bamboo or Nandina domestica Magical Sunrise, from the cultivar name 'Monfar' is part of the MAGICAL® series collection. This relatively compact variety offers a superb foliage, delicate and fine, adorned in spring with a subdued shade of brick orange. The summer foliage is green and then turns into beautiful autumnal hues of gold and red. It forms a ball-shaped bush with thin, upright or arching stems, sometimes accompanied by small white flowers in spring. Versatile, easy to grow, and very graphic, this evergreen bush integrates perfectly into flower beds, as a standalone specimen or in large borders, as well as in a large container on a terrace.

The Sacred Bamboo Magical Sunrise belongs to the Berberidaceae family. This bush is a horticultural selection of the Nandina domestica native to India, China, and Japan. Its growth is rather slow, reaching an adult size of approximately 1.20m in height and spread. This plant forms multiple upright, branched stems from its rhizomatous base. They resemble bamboo stems and are adorned with leaves cut into long, narrow, pointed leaflets. Its foliage is dense, compact, and nicely rounded. The plant is beautiful all year round: its young shoots of a somewhat muted and unusual orange turn later into chartreuse green, then dark green in summer, and finally orange-red to golden in autumn. It eventually produces large conical panicles of cream-white flowers in late spring, measuring 30 to 40 cm long. If the summer is long and warm enough, these are followed by abundant clusters of very decorative bright red fruits. It is advisable to plant another Sacred Bamboo nearby to ensure fruiting, as the plant is not self-fertile. The fruits persist on the branches for a long time into winter.

The Nandina domestica Magical Sunrise is particularly elegant in large plantings, where it harmoniously pairs with plants such as Mexican orange blossom, Japanese spirea 'Little Princess', Griffith's spurge, Isalia ground cover roses, or daylilies. Each combination creates a successful picture. This small bush is also stunning in a large container on a terrace, provided it is exposed to non-burning sun and receives regular watering. In a large border, it pairs perfectly with Thunberg's bush clover and dwarf abelias.