Pieris Mountain Fire Plant

Planting instructions

Site your Pieris Mountain Fire plant where it will receive at least four hours of direct light a day, in soil that is rich in organic matter and drains well. Unpot your plant, teasing out any encircling roots, which can girdle the tree and slowly kill it. Dig a hole that’s as deep as the root ball and two to three times as wide. Place the shrub in the hole, spreading out the roots carefully. Fill in around the roots with topsoil that’s been mixed with well-rotted compost or manure, tamping down as you go to eliminate air pockets. Water thoroughly. Apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of an organic mulch, such as bark chips, around the root zone to conserve moisture and hinder weed growth, but keep it from touching the trunk to avoid rot.

During your shrub’s first year, water it regularly with about 1 inch of water a week. Cut back by the second year, when the roots are better established. A mature plant should only need watering in very hot or dry weather. Fertilize in spring with a balanced, slow-release product that is designed for landscape trees and shrubs.

The pieris Mountain Fire Pplant produces small clusters of white flowers in spring that look like lilies of the valley. These flowers are pollinated by insects, such as honeybees, and, if not pruned out, result in small bright red berries that ripen to dark green. These contain the seeds. The shrub can also be propagated by taking softwood cuttings in early summer and placing them in a rooting medium.

Prune out dead, diseased, or damaged limbs whenever you see them. After the shrub flowers, you may also prune to shape it. It can be shaped roughly to form a hedge, but left unpruned it will assume a pleasing vase-like shape.

Pests that may occasionally be seen in pieris shrubs include lace bugs, mites, and scale. A healthy tree should be able to fend off most infestations. Diseases that are possible include phytophthora root rot and canker disease, which is caused by a fungus and may lead to branch dieback. Prune out infected branches, and keep the area around your shrub free of leaf debris to help combat fungal diseases. Occasionally, deer may sample the leaves.

Siting your pieris Mountain Fire plant properly is the best thing you can do to achieve maximum results. Although it is not a picky plant, it will offer better growth if planted in a spot that offers good morning sun and some afternoon shade, especially at the southern end of its range. It grows best in a spot that is protected from prevailing winds. It likes moist, but not wet, soil that is rich in humus and other organic matter. Prepare your site by digging well-rotted compost or manure into the soil a week or so before planting.