Pieris Care Guide: How to Grow Forest Flame

Pieris Care

Pieris is a hardy shrub that can survive very low winter temperatures. Occasionally, a late frost may burn new growth and flowers which affects the wonderful spring display.

Protecting your plant from late frosts with a fleece can prevent this. In a sheltered part of the garden, it will probably be fine.

Light Requirements

In their original habitat of forested mountains, these plants would have experienced dappled shade, and this is what they prefer. Strong sunlight, especially in spring, can damage new growth. Strong sunlight can also prevent them from flowering as abundantly and may result in new growth being less intensely coloured. For this reason, choose a dappled shade environment that mimics their forest home.

Water Requirements

Your plant will need regular watering until it becomes established. Thereafter it will only need watering during prolonged spells of dry weather. Never leave your Pieris sitting in waterlogged soil.

Soil Requirements

Pieris need acid soil. If you have an alkaline soil you will need to grow your plant in a container with ericaceous compost. A neutral soil can be made more acid by the addition of ericaceous compost and a yearly mulch of well-rotted pine needles. But this will need to be repeated regularly to keep your plant in good health. You can check the pH of your soil using a soil testing kit.

Pieris do not like to be waterlogged and prefer a rich but well-drained soil, much as their natural habitat would have provided.

Fertiliser Requirements

Even when planted in acidic soil, these plants will benefit from an annual mulch of well-rotted pine needles. In addition, plants may benefit from a dose of fertiliser (suitable for ericaceous species) in spring. Yellowing leaves are a sign of nutrient deficiency so if your plant shows signs of this it may need an additional dose of fertiliser.

Container-grown plants should be fed with a fertiliser suitable for ericaceous species.

Planting

Plant your Pieris to the same depth as it is in the pot and keep well-watered until it is established and putting on new growth. Your shrub will need extra watering in its first season, thereafter it will only need watering in prolonged dry spells.

Growing Pieris in Containers

Compact varieties do well in containers. Choose a container slightly larger than the pot your plant came in. Put few shards of terracotta pot in the base of the pot to prevent the drainage holes from becoming blocked. Pot up in ericaceous compost. Raising the pot on feet, bricks or stones can also help with drainage.

Plants in pots are particularly susceptible to drying out so keep an eye on them all year round. They will need feeding with a liquid fertilizer suitable for ericaceous plants in spring.

Repotting

You will need to repot your shrub every couple of years as it grows. Choose a pot slightly larger than the rootball of your existing plant and add fresh ericaceous compost.

Maintenance

Removing faded flowers will encourage your plant to put its energy into new growth rather than producing seeds. Cut off all the stems of spent blooms with clean secateurs.

To conserve moisture, prevent weeds, keep the roots moist and retain the acidity of the soil, you should mulch with well-rotted pine needles or ericaceous compost, keeping the mulch a few inches away from the base of the plant to prevent rotting.

You can feed your plant with an ericaceous fertiliser in spring at the same time as other acid-loving plants such as camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas.

Pruning Advice

Pieris does not require much pruning as it is a slow-growing plant. To keep your plant in good condition simply remove any dead branches. If you do wish to prune your shrub this should be done immediately after flowering to ensure you do not lose next year’s blooms.

You can prune your Pieris to keep it to a certain size or to improve its shape. This should be done after flowering. If you prune your shrub in summer or autumn, you will not get any flowers the following spring. In addition, it will encourage new shoots which will not have a chance to harden off before winter and well may be damaged by frost. However, in the long run, the plant will not be harmed.

If your plant is damaged by frost you can prune off the damaged shoots back to a supporting branch. Your plant will then put on another flush of growth, so you will hopefully still get a good display of colourful foliage.

You can also encourage new growth by cutting some of the longer branches back by half. This will encourage a second flush of new attractive coloured growth. You will, however, sacrifice flowers on that branch next spring.

Remedial Pruning of Pieris

If your Pieris has outgrown its position or become misshapen you can prune it back hard, preferably in late spring. You may not get any flowers for a couple of years after this, however, you should get plenty of fresh, coloured foliage as the plant will put on new growth to compensate for the loss. Your plant will respond well to a hard cut back and will soon recover a good shape and dense growth.