Feature Spring Flowering Shrub-Dwarf Japanese Andromeda

Feature Plant: Pieris japonica ‘Cavatine’ (Dwarf Japanese Andromeda)

Welcome to This Month in the Garden for April. Spring has arrived at last and it’s time to get out into the garden! This month’s feature plant is Pieris japonica ‘Cavatine’, also known as Dwarf Japanese Andromeda. This lovely evergreen shrub produces dainty bell-shaped white blooms in early springtime which contrast beautifully against darker green foliage. The abundance of flowers are an attraction to early season pollinators and new buds start to form during the late summer months, giving further interest through fall and winter.

Pieris ‘Cavatine’ (Dwarf Japanese Andromeda)

This attractive spring flowering shrub is ideal for smaller spaces or in borders, staying compact, and reaching a height and width of 18-24 inches high by 24-30 inches wide. Hardy in USDA zones 4-8, Pieris japonica ‘Cavatine’ prefers a moderately moist, well-drained soil in partial to full shade. This slow growing shrub rarely needs pruning, but if shaping is desired, it should be performed immediately after flowering, since Dwarf Japanese Andromeda blooms on the previous years growth. For those of you who have deer frequenting your garden, this shrub is also deer resistant! 

I hope you enjoyed This Month in the Garden. Be sure to stop by on the 1st. and 15th. of each month as I continue to share gardening tips, information and horticultural adventures! If you are looking for some gardening inspiration, be sure to check out my books, based on 27 years of experience in the horticultural field, and including my newest publication, Shade Gardening for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, which includes over 150 plant selections suited for shade!