Pieris overwintering indoors

canoeguide

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Will Pieris japonica overwinter indoors successfully? I've seen them as landscape plants where I live, but in the ground is not in a pot, and even in the ground they often look bad after the winter with some dieback being not unusual. I'm curious if anyone treats these like tropicals in colder zones and keeps them indoors at room temps once frost threatens outside. They don't seem to require any dormancy (from the limited info that I found). Thanks!
 

WNC Bonsai

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Why don’t you give them a try and let us know next spring! Since they are listed as hardy in zones 5-8 you will likely kill it either right off or it will die a slow death next year even if it does survive your indoor climate. Temperate zone plants are not house plants. They can be a bit tricky as we have had several in our yard die. However once you find them just the right spot they will do OK in zone 7. We have one that was moved 3 times before it found its happy spot.
 
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penumbra

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Pieris is strictly an outdoors plant. It does best in zones 5 through 7 and will be ok in zone 8 if sheltered and in loose loamy acid soil. Kept in conditions not suitable, as inside, it is host to a plethora of problems, both insect and fungus. In containers it needs more protection because the roots are not are hardy as the top of the plant.
They almost always look sad at the end of winter because the foliage is highly susceptible to both wind burn and sun scald.
 

0soyoung

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Pieris adapt well to growing in shade and do just fine indooors in a sunny window. They have no apparent need of winter dormancy but will tolerate zone 5 winter cold. My wife kept one in a sunny window for 5 or 6 years before foisting it on me to add to my bonsai collection outdoors.

Two pieris minis. One indoors for 5 or 6 years the other (on the right) in its second year outdoors.

266177
 

canoeguide

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Why don’t you give them a try and let us know next spring!

I honestly may, since at present I have two that I've not invested much into, and I can try two different strategies!

I'm not asking this because I don't know that these belong outside: I'm mostly concerned about the cold hardiness of Pieris (and as @penumbra points out, their roots) and how to best overwinter them in my location with the available resources I have - and as this thread illustrates perfectly, my research so far has led to conflicting answers!

For myriad reasons, I'd love to leave them outdoors as would be best, but since I've read/seen that they can live inside and don't require dormancy like say, a juniper, I'm looking for thoughts about overwintering indoors (or how bad of an idea it is!)

Thanks for the responses!
 

penumbra

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Pieris adapt well to growing in shade and do just fine indooors in a sunny window. They have no apparent need of winter dormancy but will tolerate zone 5 winter cold. My wife kept one in a sunny window for 5 or 6 years before foisting it on me to add to my bonsai collection outdoors.

Two pieris minis. One indoors for 5 or 6 years the other (on the right) in its second year outdoors.

View attachment 266177
This surprises me more than I can say. Have you ever seen them flower?
 

0soyoung

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This surprises me more than I can say. Have you ever seen them flower?
Yes, I too was extremely surprised. This small guy has never flowered. Right now I have no idea if it ever will.

These little guys have both been grown from seed from one of our landscape pieris (all of which have produced blooms every year for at least a decade). It is part of my adventure with these little guys to see if they ever do. It will be quite amusing if they do as the raceme will be much bigger than the plants 🤣

IIRC @Wilson has a pieris bonsai that blooms in icy Canada (a very special place ;)).
 
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