S & J Nursery’s Guide to Growing
Nandina Semi – Dwarf Lemon Lime
Dwarf Nandina
in the Northeast Florida Jacksonville
| St. Augustine area Landscape
( Nandina Domestica ‘Lemon – lime’)
Nandina Semi-Dwarf Lemon Lime Origins:
-A new cultivar of Nandina domestica named ‘Lemon-Lime’, characterized by its short leaf internodes resulting in a very compact plant habit and its chartreuse new foliage and mature foliage on the outer regions of the plant that are exposed to bright sunlight with contrasting green foliage on the interior region of the plant that is shaded.
A wonderful new sterile cultivar of the beautiful Nandina domestica with compact lush foliage and a stunning lime green flush of new growth in its coloring and perhaps my favorite of them all. 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.
For more about lemon lime Nandina you can see its differences in the patent information in the link below
https://patents.google.com/patent/USPP24749P2/en
Evergreen , frost tolerant, hardy in zones 6a-10b.
Exposure for Nandina Lemon Lime :
– Nandina Lemon Lime Nandina 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 Lemon Lime 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.
Foliage of the Nandina Semi-Dwarf Lemon Lime :
– Strikingly bright chartreuse yellow / green foliage color on all of its new growth is by far the showiest characteristic of this tough little plant. Add to that bright color the lacelike appearance of the leaf arrangement and you have both color, movement and texture for the garden that is tough to compete with. There really is just not a garden setting these little plants would not improve when they are planted in it! If I get to vote, this one is for you, and you , and you, and you! you can thank me later ( unless it is a wet spot, then this one is not for you, sorry. 🙂 )
Soil Preference / Salt tolerance of Nandina Lemon Lime :
– Nandina Lemon Lime 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 Lemon Lime Nandina:
– This Dwarf selection of Nandina Domestica is normally found to grow to 3-4 ft high and 3-4 ft wide in the Northeast Florida Jacksonville | St. Augustine area landscapes.
Growth Habit of the Dwarf Nandina Lemon Lime:
– Nandina Lemon Lime has a compact somewhat upright but rounded growth habit and needs little to no pruning to keep its naturally attractive shape.
Growth Rate of the Lemon Lime Nandina:
– Nandina Lemon Lime will grow slowly in the North Florida landscape, expect to get on average 3-6 inches to its height each year until maturity.
Nandina Lemon Lime 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. Lemon Lime is a Florida Friendly cultivar!
Water Requirements Once Established into the Landscape of the Nandina Lemon Lime:
– Fairly drought tolerant, 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 Semi Dwarf Lemon Lime 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 back or mid 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….