Habitat

• native to Michigan down through Georgia
• hardy in zone 1

Habit and Form

• an evergreen shrub
• 1' to 3' tall
• wider than tall
• spreading habit
• medium texture
• slow-growth rate

Summer Foliage

• opposite to whorled leaf arrangement
• simple, leaves
• elliptic leaf shape
• 1" to 2" long and not quite as wide
• entire leaf margin
• blue-green leaf color
• poisonous

Autumn Foliage

• evergreen; no fall color

Flowers

• rose-pink flowers
• 0.5" to 2" across
• flowers borne in corymbs
• bloom in late June

Fruit

• non-ornamental, small dehiscent capsules
• brown-tan color

Bark

• rounded, brown stems
• glabrous
• trunks gnarled and twisted

Culture

• partial shade to full sun
• often touted as tolerant of heavy shade, but plants under those conditions are very thin and open and bloom sparsely
• requires a cool, moist, acidic, organic soil for best performance
• avoid windswept sites

Landscape Use

• for evergreen foliage
• naturalization
• woods edge
• flower effect
• foundation plantings
• excellent in partially shaded sites
• works well with other broadleaf evergreens
• for naturalizing

Liabilities

• foliar burn in exposed sites
• will languish in heavy, high pH soils
• lacebug
• leaf spot can be especially troublesome on non-resistant cultivars in moist, heavy shade
• poisonous foliage

ID Features

• broadleaf evergreen; elliptical leaves, acute apex
• alternate leaves clustered at the shoot tip
• fruit clusters upright
• lateral buds hidden behind the petiole base
• leaf margins entire (no serrations)
• most often confused with Pieris sp.
• very low growing shrub

Propagation

• by seed
• by cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

'Candida' - This form is identical to the species, except it bears pure white blooms.

'Hammonasset' - A selection from Connecticut, this plant has a more spreading, stoloniferous habit and richer rose-colored blooms.

'Kennebago' - The leaves on this Maine selection are more lustrous, plus the flowers are a darker pink.

'Poke Logan' - Another plant originating in Maine, this cultivar has more glossy leaves and light pink blooms.

'Rosea' - The flowers on this selection are pinkish-red, while 'Rubra' has darker, more purple blooms.