Pieris japonica 'Ppobas' POLAR PASSION^®

Lily-of-the-valley shrubs are very popular ericaceous plants with attractive foliage and abundant flowering. There are so many varieties already that you think it impossible that breeders could come up with a new one, distinctly different from the others. POLAR PASSION^® is a new mutation of successful variety called Passion from 2007, and was bred by Maarten Bloemen nursery in Dutch town Venhorst.

POLAR PASSION^® is a lily-of-the-valley shrub with dark purple pink flowers in dense racemes. Individual flowers are urn-shaped, slightly fragrant, and come out from late March for 6-8 weeks. Evergreen leaves are narrowly lance-shaped, dark green with white variegation, and emerge dark pink in late April and again in midsummer.

It is a slow grower and makes mounding shrubs which can be pruned after flowering or in early summer. Its coloured foliage and flowers as well as good hardiness make pieris a great choice for growing in outdoor pots (without saucers) on patios or balconies where water supply has to be regularly checked.

Ericaceous plants require soil that is light, on the acidic side, and constantly moist (not wet). If your garden soil is too heavy do not dig a deep hole but make a shallow and wide bed topped up with a good mixture of peat, fine bark chips, and leaf mould. Keep the soil moist and protected from temperature swings by mulching. Slow-release fertilizers are advised. Pieris does best in sun or partial shade. Expected hardiness is about -27°C (USDA zone 5b).

Last update 25-02-2019