Japanese Pieris

Japanese Pieris
Pieris japonica
(pee-AIR-iss) (juh-PON-ih-kuh)
Synonyms: Andromeda, Lily of the Valley Shrub, Fetterbush
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This shrub is almost always referred to as Andromeda but that is really not correct. Although now its use is so prevalent that it is accepted and I even find myself saying it. I am glad I looked up the phonetic spelling because I was saying peer-ris before and now remember the proper way to say it is pee-AIR-iss.

No matter what you call it this is a great shrub for early spring gardens in our area. It can start blooming in late March and if the conditions are right can last for several weeks. There are a lot of cultivars available now and this photo is of one (don’t know which one). The species doesn’t have that nice pink/red in the flower, although now there are purely pink ones called Flamingo and Valley Valentine. I am confident breeding and selection will continue to bring new types to the market.

These flowers have a lovely fragrance and the plants are deer proof. Deer proof is not something I say very often because there are very few plants that the deer won’t at least nibble on (Boxwood and Daffodils are two that come to mind). Pieris is good about not getting burned during the winter although the buds can occasionally get blasted during he winter. This quality is nice since it is good to see their glossy green foliage during the winter.

I hope you will join me in celebrating my first outside flower picture of the year. There hasn’t been time to even take my camera to work let alone shoot pictures. I stuck the P6000 in my brief case and briefly had it out on Thursday and managed to snag this picture. The weather hasn’t been exactly cooperating with photography but hopefully that has changed for the better.

“Arranging a bowl of flowers in the morning can give a sense of quiet in a crowded day - like writing a poem or saying a prayer.”
Anne Morrow Lindbergh