Hello! I have two extremely well established, overgrown nandinas in a shady spot on the side of my house, and I would like to pull them out to create a landscaped bed with more variety: I'm thinking Halcyon hostas, Japanese aralias, some Double Queen hellebores, and some Lenten Rose hellebores. These nandinas are gigantic and very rangy--just one seems to have about 30-40 "shoots."

I've cut most of the nandina shoots down to the ground and made some attempts to dig up the plant, but I'm exhausted. It seems to be impossible. I was thinking of trying to rot it out by drilling some holes in everything I can see, covering the whole mess with some molasses, covering that with compost and mulch, and then planting the above-mentioned plants over that in the fall. Is that a bad idea?

I'm a little concerned because there are two trees quite nearby, as well as a fence, and I don't want to do any damage to them. Will the months till fall be enough time to rot out the nandinas? If they're not gone, will they do any damage to the new plants? Or should I just get someone with a stumpgrinder to take care of this for me?

Thanks in advance!

It is tough to get rid of nandina. Nandina is a hearty, well-adapted plant. I would bet that this drought has not affected it much. That is one of the many advantages of this trouble-free shrub.

If you must get rid of it, the methods you described will do just fine. Leave the roots where they are; they will improve the soil as they decay.

As for the nearby trees, if you pile a bunch of compost and mulch over an area where tree roots are, you will stress the tree. It just depends on how much compost and mulch you are considering and how close it is to the tree. Also, consider the mulch. I recommend using coarse mulch as the larger chunks of wood will allow for aeration. Look at the drip line of the tree. From what I understand, if a bed is built on or within the drip line, the tree roots will not get the air they need and the tree will suffer.

PS I like the plants you are considering. They will take a little more care than the Nandina. Have you thought of trimming the nandina and planting things around it? You had mentioned that the Nandina lookes "rangy". You can remove the tall shoots of it at the base of the plant...

Cheers,

Nadine