Japanese pierisis an interesting evergreen shrub belonging to the heather group, similar to rhododendrons and azaleas. In the gardens we can plant very interestingvarieties of Japanese pieriswith nicely colored leaves and interesting flowers. Learnsecrets of growing Japanese pierisin the garden, see how to properly dopieris pruningand when is it best to do it, and how to combatJapanese pieris diseaseHere's everything you need to know about Japanese pieris!
Japanese Pieris - Pieris japonica
Japanese pieris - varieties
Japanese Pieris(Pieris japonica) comes in many interesting varieties. Its decorative effect is mainly due to its dark green leaves, which in some varieties may be additionally edged or in a young stage, take on various shades of red.
Although the leaves adorn the shrub all year round, its extremely interesting flowers cannot be forgotten. The Japanese pieris, abundantly sprinkled with flowers, will blend in perfectly with the heather garden accompanied by rhododendrons. Meet10 most interesting varieties of Japanese pierisworth recommending!
Japanese Pieris 'Carnaval'- a variety with white flowers, growing up to 150 cm. Young leaves are brownish red, then turn red in color and are silvery-white edged. This color may persist even throughout the growing season. 'Carnaval' will also feel good in a sunny place.
Japanese pieris 'Cupido'- a variety of pieris with a very compact habit reaching a height of 100 cm, creamy-white flowers develop at the turn of April and May. The brown-red inflorescences formed in autumn will also decorate the shrub in winter.
Japanese Pieris 'Debutante'- a variety with paniculate, pure white inflorescences raised above the leaves, blooming profusely, grows up to 100 cm, creating dark green, matt glossy leaves. Flowering begins extremely early, since March, and unfortunately the flowers are often damaged by frosts.
Pieris Japanese 'Little Hearth'- shrub with a dwarf, compact habit. After 10 years it grows up to 50 cm in height and width. Her young growths are pink, with time they turn green with an interesting light edge. This variety tolerates the sunny position.
Pieris Japanese 'Mountain Fire'- pieris with a dense habit and white flowers. It can grow up to 150 cm. Young leaves turn brown red, then turn green. 'Mountain Fire' blooms white and in winter its flower buds are purple-red.
Japanese pieris 'Red Mill'- a variety of Japanese pieris growing up to 150 cm. Young shoots are carmine red then green. Creates cream-white flowers.
Japanese pieris 'Rondo'- an interesting variety of pieris reaching 80 cm in height. Its leaves are dark green and dull, the shrub blooms white.
Japanese Pieris 'Valley Rose'- this shrub grows up to 100 cm in height after about 10 years. Its young leaves are light green with time turning dark green. 'Valley Rose' blooms pink and in winter decorates the garden with reddish-brown flower buds.
Japanese pieris 'Valley Valentine' has colorful flowers
Japanese pieris 'Valley Valentine'- a very impressive variety of the Japanese pieris with flowers intensely pink to wine red. Young leaves are blood red to coppery then deep green. It tolerates a sunny position well.
Japanese Pieris 'Variegata'- a variety with cream-white flowers, growing up to 80 cm in height. It creates light green leaves with a cream border. In spring its shoots are light pink.
Note!Most Japanese pieris bloom from April to May, but the date may vary slightly depending on the variety. Unfortunately, in our climate, the earliest flowering varieties of pieris are very vulnerable to frost damage to flowers. Therefore, it is worth avoiding early-flowering varieties, such as the Japanese pieris 'Debutante', which blooms since March, and its flowers are often damaged by frosts.
Japanese pieris - cultivation
Japanese Pieris is an evergreen shrubwith a bushy habit, growing up to 2-3 meters in height. It prefers a semi-shaded to a shady position. Come on, we also find varieties of pierisa suitable for sunny places. Planted in the gardenJapanese pieris grows bestin acidic, humus-rich soil, rich in nutrients. In Poland, it is not completely frost-resistant. It is best planted in warmer parts of the country.He will feel great in a quiet, sheltered place.
In the cultivation of Japanese pierisone must not forget about mulching the substrate. The pine bark used as a mulch will protect the plant's shallow root system against drought and frost. In winter, it is worth covering Japanese pieris with conifers or a hood made of agrotextile.
In the cultivation of Japanese pieris, systematic watering is also importantPieris does not require intensive fertilization. It is enough to apply a dose of 50 g (one handful) of fertilizer for heather plants at the beginning of the growing season. If we have already bought fertilizer for rhododendrons and azaleas for the garden, it will also be suitable for Japanese pieris.
The pieris shoots stripped of leaves should be trimmed
Japanese pieris - trim
Japanese pieris belongs to the group of plants , which spontaneously show a natural balance when creating branches and without artificial interference form a loose habit that easily transmits light. Trimming the Japanese breastlimit it to removing weak and crossing shoots, as well as freezing and drying shoots. Old, overly bulky shrubs can be trimmed at the end of winter. A good time to remove sick and withered shoots is in the late summer after flowering or in the fall.
Good to know!Remove fading inflorescences to stimulate the development of new flower buds.
Japanese pieris - diseases
The dangerousdisease of the Japanese pieris is phytophthorosis . It is actually one of the few fungal diseases that attack the pieris and other plants from the heather family.
If we observe a gradualdieback of shoot tops on one side of the plant , we can be sure that we are dealing with phytophthora. The disease slowly moves down the breast and causes it to die.
Sometimes this dangerousdisease manifests itself as irregular brown spots on the leaves of . The leaf blades turn brown at various points on the tops or edges.
Sick shoots of Japanese pieris should be removed , and in the case of a large infection, unfortunately the entire plant should be removed. When fighting this disease of Japanese pieris, water or spray the plant with Proplant 722 SL or Magnicur Energy 840 SL, preferably 2-3 times at intervals of 14 days.
leaf spots caused by fungimay also appear on the Japanese pieris. In such cases, remove the most infected leaves and shoots, and then spray the plant with a fungicide 2-3 times every 7 days, e.g. Topsin M 500 SC.
In humid weather, shade-growing pieriscan also attack gray mold. In this case, it is also necessary to cut out the infected parts of the plant and apply fungicidal preparations.
MSc Eng. Joanna Białowąs
