Nandina domestica 'Obsessed' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Heavenly Bamboo 'Obsessed'

Nandina domestica 'Obsessed'

£19.99
Hardy in the UKSun-lovingShade-tolerantEvergreen
Pot size
17cm / 2L £19.99

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Description

Nandina domestica 'Obsessed' is one of the most colourful compact shrubs you can grow, a dwarf selection of the much-loved heavenly bamboo that earns its place for foliage alone. Despite the common name it is not a bamboo at all, but a member of the Berberidaceae family from eastern Asia, prized for the way its finely divided, lacy leaves shift through a living palette of colour from one season to the next.

The great attraction of this nandina obsessed form is the new growth, which emerges a brilliant, almost fluorescent red before maturing to fresh green through summer. As the temperatures fall, the whole plant flushes red and orange again, holding that fiery winter colour right through the coldest months. Small sprays of creamy white flowers appear in early summer, and while nandina domestica obsessed is a shy-fruiting foliage form, it occasionally sets a few red berries.

How and where to grow

This is an easy, rewarding shrub for almost any garden. Give it a position in full sun for the strongest red tones, or partial shade where the colours stay a little softer. It is happy in most soils, including chalk, clay, loam and sand across the full pH range, provided the ground is moist but well-drained.

  • Compact habit, reaching only around 0.6 to 1 m tall and wide
  • Evergreen in most gardens, semi-evergreen in colder spots
  • Fully hardy (RHS H5), needing no winter protection once established
  • Excellent in borders, low hedging, gravel schemes and patio pots

Because nandina stays so neat and well-behaved, it needs very little pruning, just the occasional removal of any tired older stems in spring. Its modest size makes it ideal for containers, where the changing foliage can be enjoyed up close by a doorway or seating area. Water regularly through the first season to settle the roots, after which it copes well with drier spells.

Every nandina domestica 'Obsessed' we send out is a strong, well-rooted, nursery-grown plant, carefully selected and packed to arrive in superb condition and ready to bring year-round colour to your garden.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Heavenly Bamboo 'Obsessed'

Plant me in full sun and I will stand a UK winter outdoors.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About Heavenly Bamboo 'Obsessed'

Nandina domestica 'Obsessed' needs full sun or partial shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is hardy to around −15°C and stands a UK winter outdoors.

Good for

Exotic Borders Shade

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

Hardy Exotic (H5): down to around −15°C. Hardy through a cold UK winter.

Fully hardy across the UK (RHS H5), tolerating roughly -10 to -15C once established, so it needs no winter protection in most gardens. In its first winter, a mulch over the root zone helps a young plant settle, and the foliage often intensifies to a deeper red in the cold rather than being damaged by it. Read moreShow less

Fully hardy across the UK (RHS H5), tolerating roughly -10 to -15C once established, so it needs no winter protection in most gardens. In its first winter, a mulch over the root zone helps a young plant settle, and the foliage often intensifies to a deeper red in the cold rather than being damaged by it.

Position

Full sunPartial shadeEast-facingSouth-facingWest-facingSheltered
Happiest in full sun, which brings out the brightest red tones in the new and autumn foliage, though it grows perfectly well in partial shade where colours stay a little softer. A sheltered spot out of harsh, drying winds keeps the leaves looking their best. Read moreShow less

Happiest in full sun, which brings out the brightest red tones in the new and autumn foliage, though it grows perfectly well in partial shade where colours stay a little softer. A sheltered spot out of harsh, drying winds keeps the leaves looking their best.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH
Tolerant of most reasonable garden soils, including chalk, clay, loam and sand, across acid, neutral and alkaline pH. The key is moist but well-drained ground, so dig in some organic matter on heavy or hungry soils and avoid spots that sit waterlogged in winter. Read moreShow less

Tolerant of most reasonable garden soils, including chalk, clay, loam and sand, across acid, neutral and alkaline pH. The key is moist but well-drained ground, so dig in some organic matter on heavy or hungry soils and avoid spots that sit waterlogged in winter.

Watering

Water regularly through the first growing season to settle the roots, keeping the soil evenly moist but never sodden. Once established it is fairly drought-tolerant, needing extra water only in prolonged dry spells, and benefits from an annual spring mulch to lock in moisture. Read moreShow less

Water regularly through the first growing season to settle the roots, keeping the soil evenly moist but never sodden. Once established it is fairly drought-tolerant, needing extra water only in prolonged dry spells, and benefits from an annual spring mulch to lock in moisture.

Mature size

Height0.6-1 m
Spread0.6-0.9 m

Reaches full size in 5-10 years

Growth habit

Bushy

Flowering

Jun-Jul

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Evergreen

Pruning

In mid-spring, cut a few of the oldest canes right down to the base to keep it bushy; avoid shearing the whole plant.

Toxicity

Harmful if eaten. The berries contain cyanogenic compounds and are toxic to cats, dogs, grazing animals and birds if consumed in quantity. 'Obsessed' is a shy-fruiting foliage form, so berry production is minimal, but care should still be taken.

Native range

Eastern Asia (Japan, China, India)

Family

Berberidaceae

Also known as

Nandina domestica 'Obsessed'

Genus

Nandina
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Nandina domestica 'Obsessed' hardy in the UK?

Yes, it is fully hardy across the UK with an RHS rating of H5, coping with frosts down to around -10 to -15C once established. It needs no winter protection in most gardens, and the cold often deepens the red of its foliage.

Where is the best place to plant heavenly bamboo 'Obsessed'?

Plant it in full sun for the most vivid red foliage, or partial shade where the colours will be a touch softer. A sheltered position in moist but well-drained soil suits it perfectly, and it works well in borders, near patios or in containers.

How big does Nandina 'Obsessed' grow?

It is a compact, dwarf form reaching only about 0.6 to 1 m tall and roughly 0.6 to 0.9 m wide over several years. Its naturally neat, mounded habit means it rarely needs much pruning to stay tidy.

Is 'Obsessed' evergreen?

Yes, it is evergreen in most UK gardens, holding its foliage through winter, though in very cold or exposed spots it can become semi-evergreen. The year-round leaves are the main attraction, glowing red on new growth and again in autumn and winter.

Can I grow Nandina 'Obsessed' in a pot?

Absolutely. Its compact size makes it ideal for containers on a patio or by a doorway. Use a loam-based compost, keep it watered in summer, and feed in spring, repotting or top-dressing every couple of years.

Is heavenly bamboo poisonous to pets?

The berries contain cyanogenic compounds and can be harmful to cats, dogs and other animals if eaten in quantity. 'Obsessed' is a shy-fruiting foliage form so produces few if any berries, but it is still wise to site it sensibly if you have curious pets.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
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Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

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Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

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Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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Nandina domestica 'Obsessed'
£19.99