Habitat

• native to primarily North and South Carolina, but also found in Virginia and Georgia
• zone 4

Habit and Form

• a broad-leaved evergreen shrub
• generally 3' to 4' tall, but can grow over 6' tall with an equal spread
• upright and spreading with an overall rounded or mounded shape
• fairly dense and bushy, especially when young

Summer Foliage

• elliptical, evergreen leaves
• 1" to 3" long 0.5" to 1" wide
• alternate leaf arrangement
• leaf margins are ciliate
• leaves are dark green and leathery

Autumn Foliage

• evergreen, so no fall color

Flowers

• upright clusters of small, white urn-shaped flowers, about 2" to 4" long
• fragrant
• blooms in April

Fruit

• small brown capsules
• not of ornamental importance, but they do persist into the winter

Bark

• gray-brown color
• breaks into vertical strips
• rarely viewed clearly due to foliage, so not important ornamentally

Culture

• does best in partial shade to nearly full sun
• removal of spent blooms increases next seasons bloom
• may need some protection from full winter sun and sweeping winds
• soils should be acidic and very well-drained but not excessively dry
• avoid extremely hot locations

Landscape Use

• mass plantings
• specimen possibly
• for early season bloom and fragrance
• for decoration
• in rock gardens
• foundations
• naturalistic areas

Liabilities

• can be difficult to transplant and establish
• prone to stem rot diseases, especially where soil drainage is not good
• fortunately, not afflicted by lacebug like P. japonica
• winter burn can occur in exposed locations

ID Features

• upright flower clusters separate it from P. japonica which has pendulous flower clusters.
• leaf margins are ciliate
• alternate, evergreen leaves

Propagation

• by seed
• cuttings are difficult, but can be rooted

Cultivars/Varieties

'Millstream' - This selection of the species is a slow-growing, low mounded form. It is a handsome plant suited to small gardens and rock gardens.

'Brouwer's Beauty' - A hybrid with Pieris japonica, this popular cultivar is notable for its lustrous, deep green leaves and dense, compact habit. New growth is yellowish and the flower buds are reddish. It expressed less lacebug resistance than P. floribunda and is slightly less hardy.