Pieris japonica, also known as Japanese Pieris, Japanese Andromeda, or Lily-of-the-Valley Plant, is a hardy and versatile evergreen shrub that provides excellent color and interest throughout the season.

When Does Japanese Pieris Bloom?

During the spring season, bell-shaped, lily-of-the-valley-like blooms provide a cascading color to signal the beginning of the new season. But this isn’t the only show that Japanese Pieris provides. New foliage that appears during the growing season emerges in fantastic shades of bronze to bright red, depending on the variety you’ve chosen, before settling into its natural rich green color. The mix of green foliage with red new growth and bright white flowers makes varieties like Japanese pieris ‘Mountain Fire’ a popular choice for many gardeners.

Care and Fertilizer for Pieris japonica

For those of you struggling to find a good color option for your shade gardens, Japanese Pieris may fit the bill, as they prefer partial shade to full sun. They thrive best in slightly acidic soil, so be sure to amend the planting soil with an acid fertilizer to give the roots a good start.

Pieris japonica Varieties Available at Meadows Farms

Meadows Farms carries a wide selection of Japanese Pieris. Below is just a handful that you’ll find. Please note that sizes and availability may be limited by location, so be sure to contact your local Meadows Farms nursery for pricing and availability information.

MOUNTAIN FIRE

A popular ornamental broadleaf evergreen shrub with delicate and showy chains of small white bell-shaped flowers and fiery red emerging foliage, extremely colorful in spring; performs best in moist, organic and acidic soils.

FLAMING SILVER

A highly ornamental broadleaf evergreen shrub, prized for its delicate and showy chains of small white bell-shaped flowers and fiery red emerging foliage which becomes silver variegated in summer; performs best in moist, organic and acidic soils.

CAVATINE

An exciting and lovely smaller variety of this shrub much cherished for its delicate and showy chains of small white bell-shaped flowers and bright red emerging foliage; performs best in moist, organic and acidic soils.

KATSURA

A medium, dome-shaped variety with showy chains of small rose-colored bell-shaped flowers and bright red emerging foliage that darkens to burgundy then green; performs best in moist, organic and acidic soils.

LITTLE HEATH

A smaller variety with showy chains of small white bell-shaped flowers and bright scarlet emerging foliage that matures to dark green with white edges; performs best in moist, organic and acidic soils.

PRELUDE

Dramatically smaller than the species, this rare gem features prominent chains of white bell-shaped flowers atop a mounded plant, new foliage emerges tinged pink; perfect for the border or a rock garden, performs best in moist, organic and acidic soils.

SCARLET O’HARA

A genuinely lovely broadleaf evergreen shrub much cherished for its delicate and showy chains of small white bell-shaped flowers and bright red emerging foliage, one of the hardiest cultivars; performs best in moist, organic and acidic soils.

VALLEY ROSE

A stunning broadleaf evergreen shrub featuring fiery red emerging foliage and showy chains of white bell-shaped flowers, very colorful in spring; a vigorous upright cultivar, one of the most ornamental; performs best in moist, organic and acidic soils.