Pieris japonica , also love as Japanese andromeda or lily - of - the - valley shrub , is a democratic evergreen landscaping works This decorative shrub is treasure for its showy spring blooms and attractive , glossy foliation . With right pruning , pieris japonica can keep a smashing , good for you shape for years to occur
When to Prune Pieris Japonica
The undecomposed time to prune pieris japonica is in late winter or other saltation , before new emergence emerges Pruning at this time allows wounds to bring around quickly and avoids take out developing flower buds avert pruning pieris after mid - summer , as this can get untoughened new growth that may get damaged by frigid winter temperatures .
contrive to cut pieris japonica once per twelvemonth for general maintenance . you may also do greening pruning every few years as needed .
Pruning Tools Needed
pile up the proper pruning instrument before getting started . For pieris japonica , you ’ll ask
Make indisputable all shaft are clean and sharp . Dull blades can crush rather than cut stems cleanly .
Pruning Pieris Japonica Step-by-Step
1. Remove Dead, Damaged, or Diseased Stems
Examine the shrub and wait for outgrowth that are drained , discredited , or pathologic . Dead wood will be ironic and brittle . damage stems may have crack or wounds . Diseased branches often have discolored country or fungal growths .
rationalise out all unhealthy woods , cutting back to just above a node or bud . This helps ameliorate air circulation and sunlight penetration .
2. Thin Out Overcrowded Areas
If there are areas of the shrub that depend overcrowded with crossing or congested stems , do some thinning . Remove selected stems at soil level to open up up the interior .
Thinning helps light and melody reach privileged branches . It prevent disease and improves flower and leaf growth .
3. Shape and Contain Size
If needed , do some shaping cut to keep genus Pieris neat and compact . slew back leggy branches above outwards facing bud or nodes .
For contain size , you’re able to :
Avoid inordinate size reduction , which can limit flowering . Remove no more than 30 % of total outgrowth .

4. Clean Up Flowers and Seed Pods
To keep pieris looking its best after inflorescence , remove spent blooms by snipping off flower clusters where they meet the stem . If seed pods form later on , clip these off too .
Deadheading tidy ’s up appearance and can encourage reblooming . It also prevents ego - seeding .
Rejuvenation Pruning Overgrown Pieris
Over clock time , some pieris shrubs can become overgrown and congested . If yours has get down too large or flush less , you could mend vigor through greening pruning .
This severe pruning is best done in former springiness before raw increase emerges . Here ’s how to restore overgrown pieris :
This pruning take away old , tired woods . The shrub will pore energy on building a compact , productive framework . Flowering will be decoct the first 1 - 2 seasons but should rally once the bush re - establishes .
Aftercare
After finishing lop :
Proper aftercare keeps disease by and sustain the shrub for retrieval . Avoid fertilizing right after lop . Wait 4 - 6 weeks for fresh growth to start .
With its graceful branches and abundant spring blooms , pieris japonica is a prized evergreen plant shrub for gardens . Pruning is needed to keep its beauty and control size . By clip at the right time with proper technique , you may delight a healthy , floriferous pieris for years to come . one-year light pruning and occasional rejuvenation will keep pieris looking its best .
How to Trim a Pieris
Grab alopperto tackle the lower branches first , cutting them close to the body . The end is to expose the trunk to make your pieris look like a tree with the foliage on top . Snip away the humbled leg .
As you cut , the upper branches will drop all sort of plant life subject on you , and things will buzz around your point . Below , snakes will hide in the brush .
Or am I the only one who is afraid of snakes ? My pieris lives at the bottom of my curtilage , where I ’ve been putting idle ivy and other 1000 barren for four years . It ’s a snake haven .
I advance you to be fearless , though . The results will be deserving it .
You might amount across some lower branches that are too thick for your pruner . When I cut back this genus Pieris for the first prison term , I left the thick outgrowth cohere out like this , about half a foot . Yuck . Pruning go wrong … these branches should be switch off closer to the trunk .
This is ugly , hazardous for walker - by , and not big for the bush . It ’s better to cut the branches closer to the trunk so they can heal ( and not injure my eyes ) . Looks like an opportunity to practice atree proverb , and I recently learned that I LOVE saws .
Saws give you a major power cost increase . I used to skin cutting buddy-buddy branches with pruning shears . Do n’t do it . Your proverb is fun , and you’re able to triple your end product and slice away branches with comfort .
When I make last calendar week that I had put a branch in a space where it could wound someone ’s eyes , I quickly cut it down . I sliced from the bottom to remove them without wound the trunk . Confession : I did n’t have a tree take in useable so I used a hand saw instead . all worked , but not idealistic .
Andromeda | Natural Pruning Techniques (Pieris japonica)
FAQ
When and how to clip pieris japonica ?
How do you clip a japonica bush ?
How do you keep Pieris ?
Should Pieris be deadheaded ?
How do you dress a Nipponese genus Pieris ?
An annual pruning observe Japanese pieris healthy and blooming . deplume off wilt or drop blooms with your fingers at the base of the flower stem where it meets the branch in mid to belated spring , after florescence . This mental process , called deadheading , conserves the plant ’s DOE , which would have otherwise been used to train seeded player and seedpods .
Should you prune Pieris japonica ?
One of the reason that Pieris is such a pop garden works is that it is a big low - alimony option for your garden . Pieris japonica and ‘ Forest Flame ’ are two improbably democratic shrub in the UK and neither require too much effort from nurseryman . One Book of Job that you might like to think about each year , however , is prune your plant .
Can Pieris be cut back ?
Pieris responds well to rejuvenation pruning . swerve the whole bush back by ½ or more can restore Pieris ’ natural form if it has been badly pruned . New sprout quick grow from the onetime wood , no matter how far back a arm is cut . Pieris can also be cut back hard to improve the strength and dynamism of its blooming .
How do you get rid of overgrown Japanese pieris ?
This increases air flow , contract disease and rejuvenates new growth , which increases flower production . Cut back overlong stem to improve the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe of overgrown Japanese pieris . Make one cut at a time , sever the ramification where it is stronger and lower down , so that it intermix back in with the shape of the flora .