Lily-of-the-Valley Bush or Japanese Andromeda
Pieris japonica (formerly Andromeda japonica) (ERICACEAE)
Planting and Growing Lily-of-the-Valley Bush
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow lily-of-the-valley bush or Japanese andromeda in the accompanying table’s tabs:
-
- Flowers, foliage, fruit, and seeds of lily-of-the-valley bush or Japanese andromeda
- Growing conditions for lily-of-the-valley bush or Japanese andromeda
- When and where to plant lily-of-the-valley bush or Japanese andromeda
- How to plant lily-of-the-valley bush or Japanese andromeda
- How to shape, prune and control growth of lily-of-the-valley bush or Japanese andromeda
- Watering, fertilizing, and care of lily-of-the-valley bush or Japanese andromeda
- Landscape uses of lily-of-the-valley bush or Japanese andromeda
- Pest and disease control for lily-of-the-valley bush or Japanese andromeda
Growing Lily-of-the-Valley Bush
Many cultivars of slow-growing, rounded, branching, evergreen shrubs, 10–20 ft. (3–6 m) tall and wide, with shiny, rhododendron-like, red becoming deep green, leathery, nodding, oval to lance-shaped, finely toothed leaves, to 3 in. (75 mm) long.
Common cultivars include Pieris japonica ‘Compacta’, ‘Crispa’, ‘Flamingo’, ‘Spring Snow’, ‘Variegata’, and ‘White Cascade’
Lily-of-the-Valley Bush Planting and Care Guide
Flowers and Fruit
Showy, tiny, bell-shaped, cream, pink, white flowers, 1/4–3/8‑in. (6–10‑mm) wide, in dangling, lily-of-the-valley-like clusters, to 6 in. (15 cm) long, in late winter–spring, form dry, 5-lobed, capsulelike fruit containing seed in summer.
Best Climates
U.S.D.A. Plant Hardiness Zones 5–9. Hardy. Best in mild-summer climates.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained humus. Fertility: Rich–average. 5.0–6.5 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Filtered sun to partial shade. Space 5–8 ft. (1.5–2.4 m) apart.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep evenly moist until established; drought tolerant thereafter. Fertilize quarterly. Prune after bloom to shape. Propagate by cuttings, layering, seed.
About This Species
Good choice for accents, backgrounds, fencelines, paths, screens in woodland gardens. Pest resistant. Fungal disease susceptible.