Leaves are shiny deep green, and the fall flowers dangle in white pendants. The tree is named for its fruit, globes of rosy red. The flowers and fruit occur at the same time, generally in November and December, giving the garden welcome late fall color. The fruit is edible but not particularly tasty. Nandina's beautiful all year round, with pinkish spring growth that becomes green as it matures.
Foliage looks bronze in winter, and white flowers ripen to red berries in fall.
It's a great plant for flower arrangers, and looks good no matter what the summer hot weather. Legend says that in Oriental households, a nandina beside the front door served to listen to the worries of the head of the household. Nandina will grow in both sun and shade but has brighter leaf color in sun. Another good small shrub is hebe, available in many different cultivars. I grow the standard Hebe buxifolia , a tidy 3 foot shrub with tight-packed deep green leaves.