I did a \"Pieris Test\"

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AviInTheGarden Somers, NY May 17, 2022

So...in the Spring/Summer 2021-season, a 30-year old Pieris in our garden was thoroughly covered with white blooms. It didn't have even one single new leaf for the entire season. I wondered why. Well, at the end of the summer into fall, I cut away all of the remnants of the blooms that I was able to reach (which really was a big job). This is the result now in this 2022-Spring...you can see in the photo that where the "dead" blooms from last year weren't cut off, there are new white blooms and every where else where last year's dead blooms were cut off is a profusion of new leaf-growth.

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hcmcdole Powder Springs, GA(Zone 7b) May 18, 2022

Wow that is huge for a Pieris. I thought Oxydendrum arboreum when I first saw it.

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AviInTheGarden Somers, NY May 23, 2022

It's about 35-years old and is now about 7.5 feet tall. It was suffering for years because of all the huge trees overly shading it. But I had a lot of trees removed from 2 to 3 years ago and it's in a bright spot. I think that's what caused this strange bloom and leaf growth now. This year, with the new leaves it's filling in the old but somewhat straggly growth. It's nice to see it and other greenery on the garden flourish like never before.

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ViburnumValley Scott County, KY(Zone 5b) Jul 03, 2022

I don't (and can't) grow Pieris japonica here in calcareous Kentucky, but...

It is good practice for gardeners to remove the remains of flowering on some big old shrubs like this after bloom ends, to reduce the energy/resources that the plant puts into producing fruit/seeds from the pollinated flowers. I don't think there is anything exceptionally attractive about Pieris seedheads, so - even though difficult - removing these from time to time should result in better growth and health for the big old plants.

This can work on all kinds of plants, including rhododendrons, lilacs, and other dry seed and non-showy reproductive structures on your garden plants. If we were talking about perennials, it would be called deadheading.

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