Pieris japonica , commonly known as lily - of - the - vale bush , Nipponese andromeda or Japanese genus Pieris , is a round , compendious evergreen shrub that grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 4 to 8 . Japanese pieris grow attractive , bell - determine white-hot or pink flower that advert in cluster of 6 - column inch chains in early wintertime orlate spring . Native to Japan , Taiwan and Eastern China , Japanese pieris grows up to 12 feet magniloquent and 10 feet wide . An annual pruning maintain Nipponese pieris goodly and blooming .
Step 1
pull out off wilted or spent blooms with your fingers at the fundament of the flower stem where it meets the ramification in mid to late saltation , after flowering . This process , name deadheading , conserve the plant ’s energy , which would have otherwise been used to develop germ and pod . Always wear protective gloves when trim .
Step 2
Cut off any frost - damaged or diseased arm routinely with your garden pruning hook , take away as much as necessary to pull in any damage . To make a cut , carefully range your garden pruner at the junction of healthy stem and diseased one , and cut back forcefully . This increase air flow , lose weight disease and rejuvenate new maturation , which increases efflorescence production .
Step 3
write out back overlong stems to improve the shape of overgrown Nipponese genus Pieris . Make one gash at a clock time , severing the branch where it is stronger and lower down , so that it fuse back in with the shape of the industrial plant .
Step 4
bump off one - third of the oldest wood with garden pruner once per year . Generally , the oldest wood can be identified as branches that are thick , leafless and inward - uprise . This cognitive process , call cutting , stimulates novel , advantageously - flowering growth from the base of Japanese pieris .
Tip
Over time , Japanese genus Pieris can become woody , with many dead branch and few flowers . If your Japanese pieris is to a fault woody , replacement may be the best choice .
In general , it is just to keep pruning to a minimum .
Overgrown or pretermit Japanese genus Pieris respond well to heavy pruning .
Warning
Nipponese genus Pieris can be harmful , even fatal , if ingested by pets or children .
