Pieris japonica Little Goldy - Japanese Andromeda

Pieris japonica 'Little Goldy' (or Japanese Andromeda) is a recently obtained variety from the Netherlands that stands out with its superb variegated foliage of changing colours and a particularly compact habit. These qualities make this small bush ideal for ornamenting terraces and small semi-shaded gardens. Its abundant spring blooms, white in colour, are an additional asset. Changing from coppery pink to green with yellow edges, then to golden and finally to green with white edges, its festive foliage is interesting all year round.

Pieris belong to the family of Ericaceae, like heathers and rhododendrons. They are evergreen shrubs that thrive in acid, light soil that remains moist, in a partially shaded or sunny (but not scorching) site. The varieties derived from Pieris japonica are hardy once established.

The Japanese Andromeda 'Little Goldy' is very dense and almost spherical. The bush will reach about 50 cm (20 in) in all dimensions after 8 years. Its growth is slow. Eventually, it will reach dimensions of about 80 cm (32 in) in all directions. Its young shoots are coloured coppery pink and white, unfolding into small lanceolate leaves with yellow edges on a green background, glossy on their upper surface. In summer, the foliage takes on beautiful golden hues. In autumn and winter, the leaves are green with creamy white edges. Its white blooms, honey-scented and slightly fragrant, consist of rather upright clusters filled with a multitude of small urn-shaped flowers, preceded by decorative pink buds in winter. Flowering occurs from April to May.

With its slow growth and naturally compact habit, 'Little Goldy' requires little pruning and maintenance, making it perfect for small gardens whether in pots and containers, in rockeries, or as a border for flower beds. An indispensable and superb evergreen bush in acidic soil, with the same charm as shrubby heathers but without their slightly austere aspect once flowering is over, it naturally and elegantly blends with Rhododendrons and Azaleas, surrounded by a mass of hellebores, ferns, and Pernettya.