Even in December, it's fun to wander my neighborhood just before Garden Blogger Bloom Day and see what's looking good. From the left you see winterberry holly, Nandina domestica, a lovely dry Miscanthus next to a Foster holly, and a close-up of Nellie Stevens hollies – all in my next-door neighbor's garden.
Their whole garden was designed to attract birds – avid birders that they are – so it's all about berries, feeders, and two ponds with a waterfall between them. Their landscape architect made a mistake in gathering berries for birds, though – birds won't eat the fruit of that Nandina. So I guess the good news is that this variety isn't being carried into natural areas by birds, (nandinas are notoriously invasive in some parts of the U.S.), but wildlife-wise they're no help at all. So like many landscape plants, their only purpose in the garden is to look good to humans.
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Above is another mixture of plants for humans and plants for wildlife – more Nellie Stevens hollies on the left, with Otto Luyken laurels and variegated liriope along the foundation. They're all wildlly popular plants with landscapers around here because they're such reliable do-ers.
Now go ahead and dis them – I know you want to.
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In the Austin, Texas, area nandinas are considered to be invasive as they are found in wildlife preserves. They were planted by birds.
This is one of the varieties of Nandina developed to not be eaten by birds, and not be invasive.
We don't have nandina here, but I'm amused that they're known as winterberry in your neck of the words. Here, winterberry is Ilex verticillata, (aka Canada Holly) which is native and wonderful. I don't diss other people's plants, except for goutweed. I hate goutweed.
What lovely berries and the ornamental grass is beautiful.
I love those Holly berries, they just shine like tiny ornaments. It's hard to plant just for the birds, we humans need something to visually feast upon.
Jodi, we use the same name for Ilex verticillata as you do – winterberry. Nandina we call Nandina or heavenly bamboo.
Holly and laurels are invasive here in the Pacific Northwest. I'm constantly weeding out both. Nadinas grow well here, but they don't berry like I've seen them do in the south.
My plant palette is fairly varied, but I still like nandina and fortunately they are not invasive here, yet. They are one of the signature plants in local gardens, even with people who don't garden. Happy GBBD!
With the exception of the nandina — which I've never liked — I think the rest of it is all quite lovely.
Berry, berry nice. I'm with Jodi — poor old plants get a lot of guff, when it's the gardeners who choose them that deserve it. In my mind, there should be some horticultural variation on "love the sinner, hate the sin." Or, to borrow a line (probably incorrectly) from Waiting For Godot: Isn't that just like Man; blaming on his shoes the sins of his feet.
Well, we've definitely got wild nandina here, on the edges of the woods, and I doubt it was planted by humans. Never heard it called anything but nandina, and I wouldn't dis it, either
I kind of like it. There's something interesting going on with it all year round.
Not sure about the other plantings, though. It just looks like standard-issue suburbia to me. I'd never have guessed it was meant to encourage bird visitors.
I tend to get a little snotty about common plants, but there are good reasons why many of them are so popular with the humans–and it's nice to see that some of them are popular with the birds, too.
Susan – there are only a few frozen rose hips left for the birds. Unless they eat holly berries. I finally got my first few holly berries this year. And the two winterberry sticks I got this spring from the conservation district died a quick death. The shadbush and hazelnuts are doing fine though.
Nandina doesn't grow wild here in Connecticut, that seems to be on the northern edge of its range. In bad winters it can get burned to the ground but when it is on it is gorgeous. I particularly like the dwarf cultivars for their fall and winter color (Firepower is one).
Your neighbor has a lovely garden.
I couldn't figure why my Nandina never had berries, when everybody else's did. I wanted to hide the heatpump but the plant remained a low dense hedge-like shrub, growing more in width than height and quite uninteresting. I went to the local big nursery at which I bought it several years ago. The staff person took me to the Nandina site and told me to pick out the one I have. It was there, much more dense than the others. Huh, the sign read "…No berries." I bought it for the berries and assumed all Nandinas have berries. Next spring I'll make the switch…and read the signs more carefully.
Do you think the hollies have more berries than usual this year (in or near Takoma Park that is)?
With the exception of the nandina — which I’ve never liked — I think the rest of it is all quite lovely.
Yes, I too, have never cared for Nandina but I do love the ornamental grasses. It is on my list to add to my front yard landscape for 2010!
I love ornamental grasses too! Its all over my front yard!