Pieris Japanese: description, planting and care. Decorative Shrubs for the Garden

Once you see it, you will forever be subdued by the eastern beauty and fragility of this evergreen shrub. Magnificent Japanese peeries with bright shoots and snow-white clusters of flowers will be an ornament of any garden. However, in order to grow it, you need to know some features of the plant, the rules for planting and caring for it.

Botanical description

This species belongs to the genus Pieris, belonging to the Heather family. The native land of the plant is the mountainous regions of Japan, East China and Taiwan. The shrub is evergreen, grows slowly and under natural conditions reaches 3.5 m, in culture it is somewhat lower (depending on the variety and conditions) - 0.5-2 m. The leaves are lanceolate, rounded, up to 10 cm long, dense and shiny. A characteristic decorative feature is their color. At an early stage of development, young shoots and leaves of Japanese peerie have a rich copper-red, white or pink hue, but eventually turn green. Flowers are bell-shaped and remind everyone of the familiar lilies of the valley, but with a denser fit on large brushes. In nature - white, in cultivated cultivars may have a different color. Particularly beautiful Japanese peery during flowering, which is long (from March to April) and abundant. Fruit is a five-membered wooden box.

Due to its high decorative qualities, the shrub is popular in culture, including indoor (low-growth varieties). Especially often you can find three kinds: Japanese, blooming and beautiful. Reproduction by shifts is rather difficult because of slow growth, therefore, most often Pieris is acquired as a seedling. Preference should be given to the plant with a closed root system.

Varieties of Japanese Peieris

A lot of varieties are bred, we focus your attention on the most popular and decorative ones. Most of them have young leaves painted in copper-red color.

• Mountain Fire (photo above) is one of the most famous varieties, the shrub is compact - up to 1.5 m in height, dense structure, growing slowly. Young leaves have a color from red-bronze to light brown, dark red.
• Debutane is a dwarf variety that does not grow more than 1 m.
• Pierer Japanese Flaming Silver (on the sixth photo) - a sort of controversial selection, which in some literary sources refer to the beautiful Pieria. A characteristic feature is the presence of a silvery-white fringing band on the leaves.
• Valley Valentine - a shrub with young shoots of pink color, large bell flowers of a rich red color.
• Red Mill is a shrub up to 2 m high. Young leaves are painted red, later green, dense and shiny, collected in a whorl. Flowers white, campanulate.
• Variegata (in the third photo) - a medium-sized shrub (1.8-2 m), leaves are green with a silver strip along the edge. Young shoots are pink.
• Scarlet O'Hara - the fastest growing cultivar among all the others.

Soil for shrubs

Pieris Japanese, like other plants from the Heather family, prefers acidic soils with medium reaction of 3.5-4.5 pH, loose structure and good permeability for moisture and air. To provide these conditions for comfortable growth, peat mixed with sawdust, sand and needles is applied to the ground. In the future, in order to maintain the acidity of the soil, sulfur is regularly added to it in the calculation of 40 g per square meter. A circumferential circle must necessarily be covered with sand or organic components. For example, pine bark, sawdust or husks from pine nuts. As the decomposition, all this material will additionally acidify the soil.

Landing in the ground

Take the bright spot protected from the cold and winds for this bright bush, calculate for it the light regime (sun rays should fall in the afternoon). However, too much shading is also unnecessary, since the variegated forms will lose all originality. The increased humidity of air is welcomed, at which the Japanese Pierce will develop more harmoniously.

The size of the landing pit is determined depending on the type of soil: on heavy clay - 1 * 1 m, on light and loose enough 0.7 * 0.7 m, depth - 0.3-0.4 m. Experts recommend buying seedlings with a closed Root system, they have an improved survival rate. Before planting, pour the plant with water as follows, so that the earth's clay soaks well. Arrange the plant in the center of the hole and gently sprinkle the earth, slightly sealing it. The root neck should remain at ground level. A seedling can be made around the seedling for the first time to retain water during irrigation.

Pieris Japanese: care

Shrub does not belong to the category of capricious plants, but requires compliance with the departure of certain rules. In addition to maintaining the acidity of the soil, it needs regular watering, the soil should not dry out. In the hot summer, as a rule, enough for young and adult plants, 3 liters and buckets of water, respectively, with a frequency of 2-3 times a week. Water with soft rain water, you can slightly acidify it with lemon, acetic or oxalic acid.

Pieris Japanese has a superficial root system, so the surface of the earth around it does not need to be loosened, so as not to damage it. The best option is mulching with organic materials. Special decorative trim is not required, however, to increase the intensity of flowering and activate young shoots, you can hold it in the second half of February.

Wintering Pieria

In this species most often flowers are white and not as ornamental as the beautiful Pieria. However, it has higher resistance to frost and withstands a winter cold snap to -30 ° C, so it is popular in the central part of Russia. If winters are too cold, then when choosing a plant it makes sense to give preference to dwarf forms. Recommended shelter for the winter. For the roots, use coniferous lapnik, and for branches - any breathable materials that are stretched on the prefabricated frame. Pieris Japanese in the suburbs easily tolerates winter without shelter.

Use in the garden

A beautiful shrub is widely used by landscape designers to decorate space. It is equally good in single or group landings. It is possible to plant dwarf and stunted forms along curbs, on alpine slides. Very harmoniously, the plant looks surrounded by related heather near artificial ponds, in Japanese gardens. As neighbors, pick up lush hydrangeas, azaleas, trillium.

For a small garden in the middle zone, one of the brightest plants will certainly be Japanese peeris. Comments of gardeners about it are mostly positive. The bush has established itself as a frost-resistant plant, well-developed and undemanding in care. Pleases an abundance of varieties and forms with a variety of leaves and flowers.