S & J Nursery’s Guide to Growing
Nandina ‘Aka’ / Blush Pink
Dwarf Nandina
in the Northeast Florida Jacksonville
| St. Augustine area Landscape
( Nandina Domestica ‘Aka’
being grown and sold under the trade name Blush Pink )
Nandina Blush Pink Origins:
-This new ‘AKA’ variety resulted from a naturally occurring, whole plant mutation discovered in a cultivated planting of the Nandina domestica variety ‘Firepower’ a non patented variety in 2004 and was propagated by Magnolia Gardens Nursery and patented in 2007. The patent will expire as of current laws in 2027 and the plant is sold under the name Blush pink presumably for royalty purposes associated with the trademarked name ‘Blush Pink’ after that patent has expired, a recent common and understandable practice in the nursery trade that can at times cause some confusion for home gardeners.
A wonderful new sterile cultivar of the beautiful Nandina domestica with compact lush foliage and a stunning rose pink coloring. Perfect for Florida friendly gardens! This non invasive form of Nandina stays short and doesn’t fruit or flower so it wont spread into naturalized locations nearby. Its highly colored foliage and low mature height make it a great low maintenance landscape plant solution for the North Florida landscape.
Evergreen , frost tolerant, hardy in zones 6a-10b.
Nandina Blush Pink Exposure:
– Nandina Blush Pink plants can be planted in a full sun or partial sun and partial shade location in the North Florida | St. Augustine | Jacksonville area landscape. If planting Blush Pink Nandina into a full hot sun location it will require a bit more fertilizer and supplemental irrigation through an irrigation system or hand watering to keep it at its best.
Nandina Blush Pink Foliage:
– Perhaps my favorite feature even beyond its easy care habit is its lovely rose pink coloring on the foliage new growth. The delicate lacelike appearance of the foliage adds texture, color and movement to the garden and with so much of our Northeast Florida landscape being green, Blush Pink Nandina is a welcome change of pace and a soft calming presence to the garden.
Soil Preference / Salt tolerance of Nandina Blush Pink :
– Nandina Blush Pink will prefer moist but well draining fertile soils in the North Florida landscape. Amend the soils with compost when planting for an extra low maintenance landscape planting. Avoid water logged soils.
– Salt tolerance unknown.
Size Variance of Dwarf Blush Pink Nandina:
– This Dwarf selection of Nandina Domestica is normally found to grow to 2 ft high and 1.5-2 ft wide in the North Florida area landscapes.
Growth Habit of the Blush Pink Dwarf Nandina:
– Nandina Blush Pink has a compact somewhat upright but rounded growth habit and needs no pruning to keep its naturally attractive shape.
Growth Rate of the Blush Pink Dwarf Nandina:
– Nandina Blush Pink will grow slowly in the North Florida landscape, expect to get on average 3-5 inches to its height each year until maturity.
Nandina Blush Pink Bloom:
-NA this sterile cultivar will not bloom or have the berries that is traditional and problematic for our northeast Florida garden area in Heirloom Nandina Domestica varieties. Blush Pink is a Florida Friendly cultivar!
Water Requirements Once Established into the Landscape of the Dwarf Nandina Blush Pink:
– Will require moderate watering in the landscape (performing at its best with at least weekly supplemental irrigation especially during times of extreme drought.)
Butterfly or Bird Attracting:
– Not touted to be a wildlife attractor for the landscape.
Best Uses For Dwarf Blush Pink Nandina in the North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area landscape :
– This compact little plant is perfect for a low maintenance landscape and can be used in masses as a groundcover or in island beds to accent palms or other landscape specimen plants, use them as the lower or bottom layer of foundation plantings around homes or commercial plantings that will receive supplemental irrigation.
– Low maintenance landscape plant selection!
Care of S & J Nursery’s North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine Shrubs:
– Shrubs can be planted in the North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area at any time during the year. In normal and well draining soils dig the hole as deep as the root ball and two to three times as wide. Plant
the top of the root ball level or slightly higher than the surrounding soils. When planting in poorly drained soils make sure to plant your shrubs a minimum of 3 inches ABOVE the surrounding soil level.
– Water every day during the establishment period. For most 3 gallon size shrubs in the North Florida landscape in average soil, that is neither heavy clay that holds water or really sandy that will take 2-3 weeks of daily watering to ensure that your newly planted shrub will begin to put out new roots and grow into its new home happily. After the first few weeks begin tapering back your watering to every other day then every third day and so
on until your newly planted items are flourishing without your assistance.
– If planting larger shrubs you may need to extend the initial care a bit longer to protect your investment and get your shrubs off to the best start possible.
– IMPORTANT: If planting shrubs in heavy clay soils that hold allot of water after a rain or irrigating, remember to check the soil for moisture by sticking your fingers into the soil near the root ball of the newly
planted shrub down to 2-3 inches. If it remains wet from the previous watering wait for the top 2-3 inches to dry out before watering again.
– IMPORTANT: When planting shrubs into poor sandy soils be sure to amend the planting hole by mixing compost or cow manure etc. with the native soil that will go back in the hole around the new plants root ball when installing your shrub material, this will not only give your new shrubs good soil to grow its new roots into but help it hold water.
– When planting shrubs from containers be sure to loosen the roots as much as possible pulling loose roots away from the root ball before installing your new plants, if the roots are to tight to easily loosen with your hands use a knife to cut a few slits into the root ball being careful to go all the way from the top to the bottom and making the cut at least an inch deep. This will ensure that your plant will immediately begin to form new roots
into its new surrounding soil.
– Mulch newly planted shrubs whenever possible.
– Fertilize each spring with a mixture of Milorganite and a slow release poly coated plant food such as Osmocote or Stay Green general purpose plant food, sprinkling the fertilizer around the mulch circle underneath the
foliage of the tree.
– Prune as needed to shape each spring and or summer.
For more tips on how to get your new plants off to the best start possible to begin growing and thriving on their own….