Pieris Gardening Tips    
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Pieris is a genus of shrubs in the family Ericaceae, comprising seven species. It is native to mountain regions of eastern and southern Asia, eastern North America and Cuba. This genus is commonly known as Andromedas or Fetterbushes. Pieris is an evergreen shrubs growing to 1-6 m tall, commonly grown as ornamental plants in gardens. It is valued for its year-round interest, with bright red new leaves in early spring, racemes of small, white or pink bell-shaped flowers in mid-spring, and buds that remain on the plant through the winter. It has leathery textured leaves that are lanceolate-oval, and with an entire or serrated margin. The fruit is a woody capsule which splits into five sections to release the numerous small seeds. Pieris species are food plants for larvae of some Lepidoptera species including The Engrailed. Pieris japonica (Japanese andromeda) is a shrub with alternate, simple leaves borne on brittle stems. It is native to eastern China, Japan and Taiwan and is widely grown in gardens. The white flowers are borne in early spring. Pieris formosa, 5 x 4 m, has young leaves that are red-bronze, turning glossy dark green as they mature. Clusters of white flowers are borne in mid- to late spring. Pieris grows well in sun or light shade, in fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained acid soil. Propagation is by seed in spring, greenwood cuttings in early summer, or semi-ripe cuttings in late summer. Pieris is usually hardy and trouble free but sometimes root rot can attack the plant. Pieris floribunda Author: Opioła Jerzy (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic) Pieris japonica Author: Julo (public domain) Pieris japonica Author: Ciar (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0-unported) Pieris japonica Author: Paul Smith (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0-unported) Pieris cultivar Author: Eric Hunt (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic) Pieris 'Wakehurst' Author: A. Barra (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0-unported) | ||||
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