they are stressed .. thats what happens when they are transplanted ...

stop cutting off parts of the plant.. water properly.. and see how they do for the rest of the season ...

there usually arent immediate fixes in the garden.. and trying to love them to death in response.. doesnt work out ..

if you want to figure out what might have gone wrong ... you are going to have to give us all the facts from the day the plants came to your property.. thru planting.. aftercare.. etc ...

other than a few damaged leaves.. we dont know anything ..

ken

Hi Ken,

Thanks for the feedback. Maybe I'm trying to fix them too quickly... I ordered them online from Home Depot and kept them in their pots (outside during the day, inside at night to avoid cold temps) for about a week before they were planted. I hired a landscaper to make a new flower bed and put them in the ground. They weren't planted with compost or fertilizer, so I fertilized them twice with ericacious fertilizer (at the same time as the camellias next to them). The landscaper who planted them added dyed woodchip mulch to the entire flower bed that was really thick (about 8 inches) so at first I just pulled the mulch away from around the plants and then when they still didn't look good, I removed a lot of the mulch from the whole bed so it's now about 2 inches thick. They're on the West side of my house and are in partial shade (full shade in the morning, dappled sunlight in the afternoon). I try to water them frequently especially on hot days.

Thanks!

Any newly planted trees or shrubs do not need to be fertilized!! In fact, fertilizing new plantings stresses them more than just planting them at an inopportune time of year does ( like now!). Don't even think about it until after one full year in the ground. And twice in one month is overkill, even for established shrubs!!

btw, if the nandinas are hardy enough to survive in your zone, there was no need to bring them inside at night. That could also contribute to their stress. As would the excessive amount of mulch, which likely prevented the plants from getting adequate water down to their roots.

Keep the mulch to no more than 2-3 inches and water deeply as necessary. That is all you need to do.

It could that there's not enough acid in the soil. Try adding some soil

Nandinas do not require a particularly acidic soil. They are not fussy at all, although Firepower will become chlorotic with a pH over 7.5.

in general .. it can take a shrub a year or 3 to settle in.. get established and start growing to expectation ... i think you need to water properly.. and otherwise chill on your transplants ...

NEVER fert a stressed plant.. its stressed.. not hungry ...

the plant seems to have more than enough green leaves to convert sun into energy ... so quit trying to fix the already damaged leaves.. and harming it more in trying..

nothing but houseplants in the house... in early spring.. the garage or a shed is good enough ... they can easily be 10 degrees warmer .... enough anyway to stop ice from harming leaf tissue ....

ken