Pieris 'Mountain Fire'
Pieris japonica 'Mountain Fire' · Ericaceae Popular
New growth of fiery red that fades through bronze to deep green, with drooping chains of white bells in early spring.
- Size
- 6½ ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Late March to late April
- Pets
- Toxic (severe)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around pieris 'Mountain Fire'
The planner designed this bed around pieris 'Mountain Fire' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why pieris 'Mountain Fire' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Pieris 'Mountain Fire' × 1, white
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 13, pink
- 3 Green-and-gold × 35, yellow
- 4 White mugwort × 4, cream
- 5 Siberian iris 'Caesar's Brother' × 3, purple
- 6 Japanese forest grass × 5, green leaves
- 7 Camassia × 5, blue
- 8 Easter lily × 4, white
- 9 Double snowdrop × 3, white
Why this plant
- A classic partner for Japanese forest grass. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does Japanese forest grass.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 6½ ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to white mugwort (5 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From late March to late April.
- Fills a gap. For four of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 8 groups (88%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The most in flower at one time is 4 kinds, in late May. The scheme leans cool (pink, purple and blue) and uses yellow for warmth, with white and cream to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 5 Good, 2 Satisfactory.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where pieris 'Mountain Fire' goes in a border
At 6½ ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is very tall (5 to 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
The red new leaves are as showy as flowers and come just after them. It needs acid soil and shelter from wind. Lace bugs spoil it in hot sun.
- Red spring foliage
- Evergreen structure in part shade
- Acid woodland beds
What to plant with pieris 'Mountain Fire'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Rhododendron 'PJM': happy in the same moist soil.
- Japanese forest grass: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Lenten rose: in flower together for five weeks, from late March; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about pieris 'Mountain Fire'
Does pieris 'Mountain Fire' need sun or shade?
Pieris 'Mountain Fire' 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 pieris 'Mountain Fire' 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 pieris 'Mountain Fire' 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.
| Zone 5 | Late March to late April |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Late March to mid April |
| Zone 7 | Mid March to mid April |
| Zone 8 | Early March to early April |
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 pieris 'Mountain Fire' be planted?
4 ft (120 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6½ ft (200 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many pieris 'Mountain Fire' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is pieris 'Mountain Fire' 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 pieris 'Mountain Fire'?
These come closest to doing what pieris 'Mountain Fire' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Camellia 'April Blush': the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 20 in shorter, pink, not white.
- Flowering quince 'Double Take Scarlet': the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 20 in shorter, red, not white.
- Fothergilla 'Mount Airy': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 20 in shorter, flowers late April to mid May.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat pieris 'Mountain Fire'?
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 pieris 'Mountain Fire'?
Pieris 'Mountain Fire' 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 pieris 'Mountain Fire' look like in winter?
Pieris 'Mountain Fire' keeps its dark green and red leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Pieris
- Japanese pieris Pieris japonica
- Pieris 'Cavatine' Pieris japonica 'Cavatine'
- Pieris 'Little Heath' Pieris japonica 'Little Heath'
In these guides
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Evergreen shrubs for structure
- Plants for a white garden
- Plants with purple and burgundy leaves
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 6½ ft (200 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 ft (120 cm) apart
- Height class
- Very tall (5 to 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late March to late April; hanging bells; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; dark green, red
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Comes from
- SE China, Central to Southern Japan, and Taiwan
- Stands up to
- Deer
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.