Pieris japonica, andromedas or Japanese pieris, are beautiful broad-leaved evergreen shrubs. Find out facts and information on the best Pieris japonica (Japanese Pieris) varieties.
Pieris Japonica Facts
The most beautiful species is the Japanese pieris, or lily-of-the-valley bush. The branches cascade almost to the ground, their tips laden with dense tassels of somewhat fragrant ivory flowers in strands 3 to 6 inches long.
Brilliant foliage of Pieris Japonica
Pieris Japonica is a formal flowering broadleaved evergreen that is often used in formal landscape plantings, borders, and as foundation plantings. They can be grown in zones 5-8. You will find that this plant is a slow grower and will reach heights of 6-8’. It blooms from March to April, with white, urn-shaped, fragrant blooms.
The foliage is is evergreen, and lance-shaped, reaching 1 1/4 to 3 1/2” long. Pieris has an upright, cascading habit with lustrous green in summer. The new growth appears in bronze to wine-red colors.
This is especially showy in cultivars such as ‘Mountain Fire’, hardy in Zones 5 and 6-8. Cultivars with colorful colorful flowers include pink-flowered ‘Valley Rose’ and maroon-red ‘Valley Valentine’. A cultivar of mountain pieris, or fetterbush, (P. Floribunda ‘Millstream’) does better than Japanese pieris in the cooler regions of Zones 4 or 5-7. This vigorous moundd, 2-6’shrub is also smaller and less showy but more tolerant of alkaline soils. Its white or pink flowers are fragrant, its leaves, a dark green.
For small gardens, the charming dwarf pieris ( P. Taiwanensis ‘Prelude’) is just 2 1/2’ tall. It is hardy in Zones 6-8 and is a late bloomer with pure white flowers.
Growing Pieris Japonica
A young container grown or balled-and-burlapped pieris transplants easily in early spring to moist but well-drained humusy acid soil with a pH of 4.0-5.0. It does best with two to six hours of sun a day, but will withstand partial shade. Try to keep it sheltered from the wind. Allow mountain pieris to develop naturally. It may be pruned back in the spring if the wood is damaged.
