Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Heavenly Bamboo
Heavenly Bamboo is an evergreen shrub with airy, bamboo-like canes and fine leaves that turn bronze to red in winter. White flower clusters come in spring and early summer, followed by red berries into winter. It grows 4 to 8 feet tall and fits an informal screen, a foundation bed or a large pot on a shaded patio. It is not a true bamboo, and it grows in clumps.
Best for: east and north beds, a light informal screen, foundation plantings, and large pots on shaded patios, with red winter color.
It does best with morning sun and afternoon shade, so an east or north side of the house suits it. Avoid west walls and spots with reflected light.
Planted 3 to 4 feet apart, center to center, a row makes a light, airy screen 4 to 8 feet tall. It fills in without shearing.
It grows well in large containers on a patio. The canes, lacy leaves and red winter color look good up close.
Full afternoon sun and reflected heat burn it in Phoenix summers. Alkaline soil can turn the leaves yellow. All parts, including the berries, are toxic to dogs, cats and grazing animals.
- Plant to plant3-4 ft apart, center to center
- Screen or hedge3-4 ft apart in a row
Water every 3 to 4 days for the first two weeks, then stretch to every 10 to 14 days by week eight. Once rooted, water every 7 to 10 days in summer and every 2 to 3 weeks in winter.
Give it morning sun and afternoon shade. Avoid west walls and reflected heat, which scorch it in Phoenix summers.
In late winter or early spring, remove the oldest canes at the base, cutting at different heights. Avoid shearing, which ruins its shape. An overgrown plant can be cut almost to the ground just before spring growth.
Alkaline desert soil can cause yellow leaves with green veins. Treat with an iron product for plants and mix compost into the planting hole.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
Is Heavenly Bamboo toxic to dogs and cats?
Yes. It is toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Eating it can cause weakness, poor coordination and seizures, and in rare cases death. Keep pets from chewing it and pick up fallen berries.
Are the berries bad for birds?
Yes, in large amounts. Birds that gorge on the berries, like cedar waxwings, have been poisoned and died, so you can clip off berry clusters if waxwings visit your yard.
Can Heavenly Bamboo take full sun in Phoenix?
It struggles in full afternoon sun in Phoenix summers. Plant it with morning sun and afternoon shade, and keep it off west walls and away from reflected heat.
Is it a real bamboo, and will it spread?
No, it is a shrub with canes that look like bamboo. It grows in clumps of canes rather than running like true bamboo, so it stays where you plant it.
How big does it get?
It grows about 4 to 8 feet tall and 2 to 5 feet wide at a moderate pace. Give it room to fill out if you want a screen.
How often should I water it?
At first, water every 3 to 4 days, stretching to every 10 to 14 days over two months. Once rooted, water every 7 to 10 days in summer, 10 to 14 days in spring and fall, and 2 to 3 weeks in winter.
Why are the leaves turning yellow?
Yellow leaves with green veins usually mean a lack of iron in alkaline desert soil. Treat the plant with an iron product made for plants.
How do I prune Heavenly Bamboo?
Shearing ruins its natural shape, so thin it by hand instead. In late winter or early spring, cut the oldest, tallest canes at the base, at different heights, to keep it full. An overgrown plant can be cut close to the ground before spring growth.
Why does it turn red?
The leaves turn bronze to red in winter once nights stay below about 40°F. The color is normal, so no care change is needed.
How far apart should I plant it?
Plant them about 3 to 4 feet apart, center to center. The Spacing tab counts plants for your row.
Do rabbits and deer eat it?
Rabbits, javelina and deer usually leave it alone, so it is a good pick where they visit the yard.
Heavenly Bamboo for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica) is an evergreen shrub from Asia with cane stems and lacy leaves that color up in winter. Below: how big it gets, where it grows best in the Valley, spacing, watering, pruning, yellow leaves, and what pet owners should know.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
Heavenly Bamboo in Phoenix
Heavenly Bamboo grows in the Valley with afternoon shade and regular water. In full afternoon sun and reflected heat it struggles through Phoenix summers. East and north sides of a house suit it best.
Is Heavenly Bamboo toxic to pets?
Yes. It is toxic to dogs, cats and horses, and large amounts of berries have killed cedar waxwings. Keep pets from chewing it and clean up fallen berries.
How big does Heavenly Bamboo get?
It grows about 4 to 8 feet tall and 2 to 5 feet wide at a moderate pace. Dwarf forms stay 2 to 4 feet.
How far apart to plant Heavenly Bamboo
Plant about 3 to 4 feet apart, center to center, for a screen or grouping. The Spacing tab on this page counts plants for your row.
How to prune Heavenly Bamboo
Shearing ruins its shape, so thin it by hand. Each late winter or early spring, cut a few of the oldest canes at the base at different heights. That keeps it full and natural.
Heavenly Bamboo yellow leaves
Yellow leaves with green veins mean the plant is short on iron, common in alkaline desert soil. Treat with an iron product and mix compost into the soil.
Heavenly Bamboo winter color
Once nights stay under about 40°F, the leaves turn bronze to red. Red berries hang on through winter.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.