Pieris japonica or the Pearl Flower is an elegant, evergreen shrub that has a rounded bun shape when young becoming upright when older.
The eliptical 10cm leaves are a reddish green when new ageing to deep glossy green.
The gorgeous, pendulous panicles of small, white, bell-shaped flowers are what make this shrub so beautiful.
It goes well with Azaleas and Rhodedendrons and prefers cool moist sites in dappled shade. It's really slow growing, but will still flower when young.
Varieties include:
"Christmas Cheer" has bicoloured white and pink flowers that appear pink from a distance.
"Dorothy Wykoff" has has pale pink flowers that emerge from purply-pink flowers (sometimes they age to white)
"Flamingo" has red buds that open to a soft pink.
"Forest Fire" has very red, vivid new leaves and waxy white flowers.
'Little Heath' is a classic variegated form.