Scientific Name
Pieris japonica 'Variegata'
Common Name(s)
Variegated Japanese Pieris, Variegated Lily-of-the-valley Bush
Scientific Classification
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Pieris
Flower
Color: White
Bloom Time: Spring
Description
Pieris japonica 'Variegata' is a shrub or a small tree that grows up to 13.1 feet (4 m) tall. Leaves are dark green and glossy with bright white margins, which turn pink in fall. New leaves emerge coppery red. Well-established plants grown under good conditions bear long racemes of small white flowers.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zone 6a to 9b: from −10 °F (−23.3 °C) to 30 °F (−1.1 °C).
How to Grow and Care
As they are originally from a forested habitat, they do best in dappled shade. Intense sun in early spring can burn the tender new growth. They will not do too well in full shade as they won't produce as many flowers, and the color of the new growth won't be as intense. They need well-drained but moisture-retentive humus-rich acid soil. If you have alkaline soil, you will have to grow it in a pot; you can add ericaceous compost and feed and mulch with pine needles, but it will only be temporary alkaline soil will always be alkaline soil.
They are hardy shrubs, but they may need some protection from late frosts, which will burn the new growth and flowers. The frost probably won't kill the plant, but it will mar the spring display, which is usually the main reason it is grown.
Plant them to the same depth as they are in the pot and water well. Keep an eye on the watering in the first season, particularly if there is a long dry spell. See more at How to Grow and Care for a Lily of the Valley Bush.
Origin
This plant is colored cultivar of Pieris japonica.
Links
- Back to genus Pieris
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin
Photo Gallery
Click on a photo to see a larger version.
