Pieris japonica Christmas Cheer - Japanese Andromeda

The Pieris japonica Christmas Cheer is an excellent variety of Japanese andromeda, both hardy and floriferous from a young age, and endowed with a very pleasantly bicoloured flowering, in dark carmine pink and white-cream. It is decorative all year round, with its deep pink floral buds that form from December, its wonderful flowering in early spring, its evergreen foliage that persists in winter, and finally for its supple and natural habit. Pieris is a bush that thrives in partial shade and acidophilous soil, which can be easily grown in the garden or in a container if these conditions are met.

The Pieris japonica, more commonly known as Japanese andromeda, is native to eastern China, Japan, and Taiwan. It belongs to the ericaceae family, and is a cousin of heathers and camellias with which it forms beautiful massifs. The 'Christmas Cheer' cultivar is a superb Japanese creation dating back to 1967. This shrub has a bushy habit, its growth is rather slow, and at maturity, after 10 years, it reaches about 1.50m (4 ft 11 in) in height with a 1m (3 ft 4 in) spread. It has beautiful evergreen foliage in winter, composed of long, glossy, lanceolate and pointed leaves, slightly dentate at the edges, measuring up to 10cm (3.9 in) long. The young shoots are reddish, then the leaves turn light green, and finally dark green. The clusters of floral buds, a dark old pink, appear in winter, enhancing the decorative effect of this Japanese andromeda during the dreary season. In April, it is covered with numerous upright clusters with trailing tips, measuring 10 to 15cm (3.9 to 5.9 in) long, composed of small urn-shaped flowers, ranging from carmine pink to white-cream, resembling lily-of-the-valley flowers. The flowers, which have a sweet honey fragrance, are very attractive to bees.

With its undeniable charm, personality, and extremely decorative appearance throughout the seasons, this Japanese andromeda 'Christmas Cheer' has found its place under the canopy of tall trees, on the edge of partially shaded shrubs, as a low hedge, in a shaded rockery, and especially alongside other acid-loving plants such as camellias, rhododendrons, heathers, mollis or Japanese azaleas. With its generous flowering, it will make a sensation when associated with spring bulbs (daffodils, early tulips), hellebores, and primroses. It also makes a beautiful specimen for decorating a terrace or balcony, planted in a carefully chosen large pot. Finally, the Pieris has its rightful place in a Japanese-style garden!