Japanese pieris

Questions about Japanese pieris

Does Japanese pieris need sun or shade?

Japanese pieris grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).

It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.

What zones does Japanese pieris grow in?

USDA zones 5 to 8. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).

Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does Japanese pieris flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers late March to late April. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.

Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.

How far apart should Japanese pieris be planted?

5 ft (150 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 ft (180 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 8 ft (250 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many Japanese pieris plants do I need?

Usually one. At 5 ft (150 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 5 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.

In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.

Is Japanese pieris poisonous to dogs and cats?

Yes: severe toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts, including the nectar, are highly poisonous if eaten and can affect the heart.

Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.

Is there a pet-safe plant like Japanese pieris?

These come closest to doing what Japanese pieris does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:

• Camellia 'April Blush': the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 3½ ft shorter, 12 in narrower.
• Witherod viburnum 'Winterthur': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 20 in shorter, flowers early June to late June.
• Flowering currant: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; pink, not white, not evergreen.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat Japanese pieris?

Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.

What flowers after Japanese pieris?

Japanese pieris is over by late April. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Rhododendron 'PJM': from late April to mid May, 5 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
• Blue false indigo: from late May to mid June, 4 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Lupine: from late May to early July, 3½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.

What does Japanese pieris look like in winter?

Japanese pieris keeps its dark green and bronze leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.