Pieris Japonica Prelude or Japanese Pieris is a beautiful small evergreen shrub with perfect mounding habit, making it suitable for mixed shrub borders. This is an easy to grow flowering plant that will provide year-round interest in your garden. It features excellent dark green foliage and bell-shaped white flowers that look very decorative. This dwarf-sized shrub will grow into a small bush, ideal for low-hedging in small gardens. Pieris Prelude features small pink buds that open into brilliant white flowers arching on pendulous clusters, that bloom profusely in the months of March and April. Its handsome leaves emerge as burgundy-red when young, slowly maturing into dark green. This distinct feature of Pieris shrubs is most prominent and popular. Its bead-like pink buds that grow in late summer last until next flowering year and provide winter interest. Unlike its cousins, Pieris Prelude might not perform well in any type of growing conditions. It prefers full sun or partial shade, planted in acidic soil that is moist and well-drained. It belongs to the ericaceous family and loves acidic soil. Use an ericaceous compost with the potting soil when growing Pieris in containers. Pieris requires its roots to be kept cool in summer. Add a layer of mulch made of composted pine bark that will retain moisture and keep the base cooler than surface. These are easy to grow border shrubs that require low maintenance. Use Pieris in large containers to decorate a patio or use them in mixed shrub borders. They are ideal for low-hedging in small gardens and prefer their place below other taller shrubs or trees like pine.
