Oh dear. This article describes the situation— The berries have cyanide, and apparently you are supposed to clip the flowers when they bloom so that the berries don’t form because some birds will eat them if there’s nothing else, but they are definitely toxic.
It’s a pretty plant, especially in winter. But there are a lot of non-native plants in my yard. I have only been living here for about 15 months and I have not begun the transformation of the landscaping. Over the next year or so, I would like to plan how to gradually make it a home for native plants, wildlife, pollinators, etc. No critters touch those berries. They must know they’re poisonous!
I love to see Nandina in the winter with shnow. In Baltimore, we had several good sized stands in front of our house. They were planted by a landscaper. Now I hear that Nandina berries are highly poisonous and birds could die from eating them. Birds ate the holly berries from a big tree next to our Nandina, but I don't think they ate Nandina. I would have noticed that the berries were gone! I saw them eating the holly and then shitting all over our car. So what's the deal? Is Nandina blacklisted? BTW, I have never seen it in Vermont.
Oh dear. This article describes the situation— The berries have cyanide, and apparently you are supposed to clip the flowers when they bloom so that the berries don’t form because some birds will eat them if there’s nothing else, but they are definitely toxic.
https://www.nrtoday.com/life/home_and_garden/ask-a-master-gardener-invasive-nandina/article_58bb63b3-d713-5860-a36e-d70169835427.html
It’s a pretty plant, especially in winter. But there are a lot of non-native plants in my yard. I have only been living here for about 15 months and I have not begun the transformation of the landscaping. Over the next year or so, I would like to plan how to gradually make it a home for native plants, wildlife, pollinators, etc. No critters touch those berries. They must know they’re poisonous!
I love to see Nandina in the winter with shnow. In Baltimore, we had several good sized stands in front of our house. They were planted by a landscaper. Now I hear that Nandina berries are highly poisonous and birds could die from eating them. Birds ate the holly berries from a big tree next to our Nandina, but I don't think they ate Nandina. I would have noticed that the berries were gone! I saw them eating the holly and then shitting all over our car. So what's the deal? Is Nandina blacklisted? BTW, I have never seen it in Vermont.