Pieris – A Shrub for All Seasons

Pieris goes by many names including Andromeda, Japanese Pieris, and Lily-of-the-Valley bush. Whatever you prefer to call it, Pieris is a hardy shrub that’s worth getting to know better.

One of the earliest blooming shrubs, well before the familiar yellow forsythia, Pieris blooms with white or pink flowers in late winter to early spring. In fact, it actually sets its flower buds in late summer for the following spring so that they remain on the bush through the fall and winter. Dark seed pods can also persist into the winter months creating an interesting look of old and new flowers hanging out together at the same time.

Evergreen Pieris remains attractive all winter with its glossy dark green leaves, but it’s the fresh bronzey-red growth of spring combined with the delicate, lightly scented flower clusters that really make this shrub a standout. The large, white-flowered varieties look particularly lovely brightening areas at the edge of woodlands.

When we moved to our home 25 years ago, I discovered a long-neglected old shrub of Pieris japonica growing in the woods just beyond our lawn. By clearing out the area around it and letting in more light, the shrub was revitalized and came back to life. In a couple of years I was able to take a nearby young volunteer and move it to another area. Thus began my love affair with Pieris!

Since that time I’ve discovered that small, volunteer Pieris are amazingly easy to transplant to other areas or share with friends. Large shrubs slowly spread and the “babies” are easily spaded up and relocated. This spring I moved three small shrubs next to a larger one to create a deer-resistant hedge of sorts and a backdrop behind an established shade garden. It will take several years for these new shrubs to fill out but the overall woodland garden effect is worth waiting for and is particularly suited to our woodsy, partially shaded landscape.

There are many new varieties now available such as “Mountain Fire” with vibrant red spring foliage and bright white blooms or “Katsura” with pink to red flowers. There are even those with stunning variegated foliage! Although the old-fashioned Pieris japonica in my yard grows to about 6 feet tall with an equal spread, there are modern dwarf varieties that will fit easily into smaller garden spaces.

Pieris grow well in Hardiness Zones 5 to 8 and enjoy moist acidic soil enriched with leaf mold or compost. They can tolerate full sun but prefer some afternoon shade and a location that’s somewhat protected from the wind. Once established, these beautiful shrubs are relatively drought-tolerant and, best of all, very deer resistant!

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