Pieris floribunda.

I'm not sure I have mentioned it before on the blog, but I've been working with two local gardeners for a couple of months - James and Dave. It's recently been getting to the time of year in which working outdoors is no longer a test of manhood in the wind and the rain, but a pleasurable pursuit beneath cloudless skies - although today was a wet exception!

One plant that seems to embody the excitement and heat of the coming seasons is the Pieris floribunda (especially the 'Forest Flame' cultivar*), with its deep red young leaves and white bells. It has appeared in many of the gardens I've been working in, and at this time of year it really is striking.

Pieris floribunda, "Mountain Andromeda".
(Evergreen shrub.)


Planting: Spring or autumn.
Flowering: March to April (now!).
Aspect: Full sun or partial shade. Non-north facing, sheltered.
Hardiness: Hardy.

Notes: Originating from the slopes of the Appalachians, the Pieris floribunda is poisonous enough even to hold its own against deer.

*I learnt that the correct term is cultivar here: http://apps.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantfinder/plantnaming/hownameswork.asp