Pieris japonica 'CARNAVAL'

Carnaval is a beautiful and colourful variety of Japanese lily-of-the-valley shrub. This evergreen gem shows narrowly lance-shaped, evergreen leaves that are dark green in the middle and creamy white along the margins. New foliage is vivid red or purple-pink. This colour remains for a few weeks before it matures to variegated. New growths are often shown again in late summer.

Well established plants grown under good conditions bear long racemes of small lily-of-the-valley like white flowers from March to April. Deadhead spent flowers immediately after flowering so that the plant has enough strength to produce profusion of new shoots that will make the plant denser. Flower buds are formed in late summer and overwinter. For good maturing of them we suggest fertilizing the plant from summer until mid-autumn.

It grows slower than e.g. Flaming Silver forming a compact and dense shrub about 1.5m tall and 1m wide in maturity (10-15 years). It likes moist but very well-drained, fertile, acidic soil. Mulch it well if planted in full sun. Once established it withstands temporary summer droughts. Fully hardy to -27°C (USDA zone 5).

Last update 02-03-2011