If stressed, yes.

Dan

Yes. Cold weather can cause loss of foliage and dieback of stems if severe enough. That period of sudden cold we received around Thanksgiving could certainly cause this type of appearance, not to mention the more recent cold snap we received last month.

Taller or larger growing cultivars of Nandina seem to experience this more frequently than the dwarf forms. Just remove any dead stems at the ground. The plant should regenerate new growth from the base and releaf on any other viable stems.

Just does not seem to be that hardy, at least in this region. Probably has to do with cool growing seasons, failure to ripen growth adequately in fall. A planting on a property I was working on during a cold winter some years ago froze to the ground. I've had two cultivars freeze off twice on Camano Island during recent winters.

Last year was also murder on 'Little Gem' magnolias - another hot summer plant that has been planted very frequently here.

Another problem with heavenly bamboo that has been appearing recently is some kind of foliage mildew. There also appears to be a leaf spot condition on many specimens. Some affected plants lose some of their leaflets prematurely.

Thank you everyone. We definitely had some very cold weather here in the foothills. I will clean 'em up and hope they come back.