Pieris Japonica Mountain Fire

‘Mountain Fire’ is a popular cultivar that is particularly noted for the fiery red color of its newly emerging foliage and its heavy flower clusters. It typically matures in a spreading mound to 4’ tall and 3’ wide over the first 10 years. Over additional time, it may eventually reach 6-8’ tall. It features large pendulous clusters (racemes) of urn-shaped, lily-of-the-valley-like white flowers in early spring. If spent flowers are not trimmed off after bloom, they are followed by small 5-valved capsules. Serrulate, oblanceolate to obovate-oblong leaves (to 2” long) emerge bright red (hence the cultivar name), but mature to glossy dark green. Subsequent minor spurts of new growth in summer add interesting contrast to the foliage. Leaves are evergreen. Bead-like flower buds are set in late summer for the following year and provide winter interest and contrast to the evergreen foliage.