Pieris japonica 'Mountain Fire'

[GailC]

I know better but I bought a plant of this today knowing nothing about it or its care. I figured if its a bad candidate for bonsai then it will be a nice yard plant.
Has anyone ever worked with a Pieris japonica? What is your opinion on this species?

I'll get pics of mine either lather today or tomorrow. I'm not sure what I'm doing with it at this point. Part of me want to start trimming it but I think it would be better to plant it in the ground for a season.

 

[Cadillactaste]

They are lovely in bloom...I picked one up for the bonsai contest. But, we had a horrid hard frost and the bark was all damaged. Falling off the trunk and girding the tree. But...would get another in a heartbeat if I found one I liked the bones of. Was told the leaves can burn in intense afternoon sun. And watched a youtube video on pruning...if you remove all the foliage from a branch it will die back and you lose that branch. Hope that helps...wish you luck...please share a photo. Would love seeing it.

 

[GailC]

Thank you for the tip about the removing the leaves, it does help. I'll hop over to YT and see if I can find some videos. I got mine at Lowes, they had threee different varieties, now I wish I would have gotten one of the larger pink blossomed one instead of the one gallon with white blooms. Of course I picked one with no flowers but maybe it just hasn't bloomed yet. Its a pretty small plant but maybe it has a decent shape under all the leaves.
Pictures after dinner.

 

[GailC]

As promised, my little bush

 

[0soyoung]

The most rewarding pieris bonsai is a mini: start with seed or a volunteer seedling and always keep in a small (1 inch or so) pot and the leaves will stay small. You just need to pinch/cut back - as it gets taller the most distal leaves get larger. You can keep it on your sunny window sill year 'round, if you want.

I've also tried growing an air layer as a bonsai and have found it to be very frustrating. Growth stays coarse and leaf size doesn't reduce much.

 

[GailC]

Do you think its too late to keep the leaves smaller on mine? Should I go ahead and chop it now? I do prefer smaller bonsai.

 

[0soyoung]

Do you think its too late to keep the leaves smaller on mine? Should I go ahead and chop it now?

Venturing into the unknown is part of the fun of bonsai.

I've tried chopping my layer back and working it into smaller pots without much success - it does bloom though (kind of amusing having inflorescences larger than the plant ). Maybe I haven't pushed hard enough - I dunno and I'm donating it to the landscape in the next week or two. Its been 4 years of trying (not all of which were whole hearted).

I've got several in my yard and I am unable to tell if they are self-fertile or require pollen from another pieris to make seed. But, since you like them, you could get another one anyway (aka, 'just in case') and wait for one or both of them to make seed. Of course, you could just see if you can procure some seed instead.

Given the size of your plant, though, I would be thinking about trying to root a few cuttings and/or layering. That will be good experience that you may find to be lots of fun. Then you can experiment with those clones next year to see if you can reduce the leaf size significantly. Of course this will also reveal to you some of the effects of pruning/chopping, if you pay close attention, and you also could wire new growth to direct it where you want it to go. All in all that would be plenty to do while your new plant grows bigger/thicker over the next two or three years.

I'm not trying to convince you to make a career out of this one plant. I'm just telling you alternatives to 'chop it now' and hope it turns out to be a bonsai (not that there is anything wrong with that). It is your plant. It is your adventure.
Enjoy!

 

[GailC]

I think my pictures might be misleading, its not a very big plant. I could get starts off it but they would just end up sticks in pots. I think I'll trim a little off then see how I feel about it. Kinda wish I would have bought another for the yard.
Did yours back bud at all? I'm new to bonsai and this type of plant is really unknown to me.

 

[0soyoung]

Yes, it back buds. Wait until the flowers have turned brown or you see apical buds start to push, then prune hard. I'm guessing it will be about the end of April in your area. This would be the best time to chop, IMHO, if that is what you decide to do.

 

[just.wing.it]

Is this the same plant as Photinia Fraseri? If so, I dug one out of my yard this spring. It's been starved of light it's whole life and already had two trunks removed when I moved in here, I assume they died off. I watched it for 3 years in the yard, it barely grew at all, never blooms. Figured I could try to pot it and give it some sun, on the deck. There was a bundle of dead roots, I didn't see any roots that looked alive.
That was about 4 weeks ago... Noticed yesterday, a few buds are swelling a bit. Hopefully it pulls through. I think they make awesome yard plants, so why not try bonsai with one. Mine will make a cool Bunjin style one day.

 

[GailC]

No, they are not the same. Flower are quite different and the leaves of japonica are smaller. I've decided to make mine a yard plant for now, maybe in a few years I'll change my mind and dig it up.

 

[just.wing.it]

No, they are not the same. Flower are quite different and the leaves of japonica are smaller. I've decided to make mine a yard plant for now, maybe in a few years I'll change my mind and dig it up.

Hmm, those pics look nearly identical to mine. Cool tho!

 

[just.wing.it]

Yeah I see the differences now, after a little looking around...
Thanks!

 

[just.wing.it]

Now I'm wondering if my plant is in fact a mtn fire..... the two that the previous owner planted in the garden, don't get enough sun and I have never seen any blooms...
The leaves are smaller than photinia I've seen at nurseries....

 

[Shima]

I know better but I bought a plant of this today knowing nothing about it or its care. I figured if its a bad candidate for bonsai then it will be a nice yard plant.
Has anyone ever worked with a Pieris japonica? What is your opinion on this species?

I'll get pics of mine either lather today or tomorrow. I'm not sure what I'm doing with it at this point. Part of me want to start trimming it but I think it would be better to plant it in the ground for a season.

Oh goodie, another opportunity to mourn a loss. I had 2 Pieris j. Lost both to fungus. Dead in a matter of days. I really liked them. They bud back well and the flowers reminded me of manzanita. Here's one in flower and shooting.

 

[GailC]

They are pretty striking in bloom, I'd like to get a pink flowered one too. There are variegated ones too, they have white blooms and looked really cool.

 

[just.wing.it]

They are pretty striking in bloom, I'd like to get a pink flowered one too. There are variegated ones too, they have white blooms and looked really cool.

Hopefully I can get some blooms this year, and know for sure....
Though, from what I've seen so far, I think I was wrong, it's not a photinia...
What do you think?

 

[Wilson]

I have a couple that will be doing their first winter with me. I think they make pretty beautiful bonsai, great bark, and tons of blooms. I was lucky to find an old one that had been hacked right back, so nice thick trunk and already reduced height. The other is a clump, with smaller variegated leaves, real pretty.

 

[vaibatron]

Hopefully I can get some blooms this year, and know for sure....
Though, from what I've seen so far, I think I was wrong, it's not a photinia...
What do you think?
View attachment 99559
View attachment 99558

This looks like some sort of native rhododendron.

 

[just.wing.it]

This looks like some sort of native rhododendron.

It was a mtn fire.
I was able to confirm....
Unfortunately, it didn't survive.
Seemed OK in the bucket for most of the summer, but then one day, it dried up and croaked.