Northwest Blooms · Shrubs
Pieris japonica 'Ralto'
Passion Frost Pieris
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Height
- 3 to 5 ft
- Width
- 3 to 5 ft
- Flower color
- Bright red flowers
- Foliage color
- Glossy, dark green leaves edged irregularly in creamy-white to yellow margins
- Bloom time
- Spring
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Medium
- Maintenance
- Low to moderate; naturally compact, spreading habit
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Wildlife
- Early-season nectar and pollen from the flowers attract bees and other pollinating insects
About this plant
Pieris japonica 'Ralto' is an evergreen shrub grown for its variegated foliage and showy flower display. Narrow, lance-shaped leaves are edged in creamy white to soft butter yellow around blue-green centers. Through winter, the foliage holds its color while clusters of deep red buds hang at the tips of the branches, giving the plant a colorful presence even in the dormant season.
In early to mid spring, those buds open into drooping chains of rosy red to pink, bell-shaped flowers that attract pollinators. Pieris japonica is native to Japan, and 'Ralto' (marketed as Passion Frost) originated in the Netherlands as a selected branch mutation of the cultivar 'Valley Valentine' before being introduced to the Passion Party series.
Works well in
Shade Gardens · Woodland Gardens · Containers · Deer Prone Areas
Companion plants
Sarcococca · Rodgersia · Cyclamen · Fatsia · Lungwort · Primrose
Design tip
Contrast is central to ‘Ralto’s’ garden value: creamy yellow-edged foliage creates a luminous evergreen backdrop for deep red winter buds and rosy spring flowers. The succession from buds to bloom keeps the same color relationship active across two seasons.
