# Mountain Fetterbush (Pieris floribunda) > A compact evergreen of southern Appalachian balds, with upright clusters of fragrant white bells in spring from buds that show all winter. Also called mountain andromeda, mountain pieris, Andromeda floribunda. Category: Native Shrubs. Grown from seed by Blue Whale Trees. Web version: https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/mountain-fetterbush/ ![Mountain fetterbush (Pieris floribunda) shrub covered in upright clusters of white flowers](https://bluewhaletrees.com/img/plants/mountain-fetterbush-h1610-800.jpg) *Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, CC BY-SA 4.0 ยท [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APieris_floribunda_kz01.jpg)* ## Facts - Type: Shrub - Mature height: 3 to 6 ft - USDA hardiness zones: 4 to 6 - Grows wild in: The Appalachians, rich moist slopes and the forest understory - Native range: Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Also recorded in 1 other state, outside its native range - Sun: Part, Full - Soil moisture: Average - Growth rate: Slow - Traits: Evergreen, Showy flowers, Rare, Wildlife value, Winter interest - Sold as: Saplings, Seed Heights and zones are typical ranges for the species in cultivation; local conditions and seed source shift them. ## Availability Not yet priced online. Ask at captain@bluewhaletrees.com or leave an email on the web page to be told when it is listed. ## Notes Mountain fetterbush is the native pieris of the southern Appalachian mountains. It differs from the Japanese pieris common in gardens. Its flower clusters stand upright above the leaves instead of hanging, and lace bugs leave it alone. Its wild range is limited and scattered, and it is rare in gardens too, partly because it is hard to propagate. Tennessee lists it as threatened, and in Georgia it is known only from old records. Plant it in light shade near a path or a doorway, where its early fragrance and its winter buds can be enjoyed up close. ## Size, growth and what to expect No source rates its growth, but the seedlings grow very slowly at first, so our growth estimator treats it as slow, about a foot a year. It forms a dense, rounded shrub 3 to 6 feet tall and about as wide. Fragrant white urns open in upright clusters from late March to early May, and the show lasts 4 to 6 weeks. Native bees and bumble bees work the flowers. Next year's flower buds form in midsummer and stand out through the winter, growing creamier as spring nears. The capsules ripen in mid to late fall. It grows wild from West Virginia and Virginia to North Carolina, Tennessee and northern Georgia. Its home is high balds, heath thickets and oak, pine and hemlock woods. In New England it grows wild only in Vermont, far north of its native range. ## How to grow Mountain Fetterbush Mountain fetterbush does best in part shade and takes nearly full sun. It needs a soil high in organic matter that drains very well but does not dry out. It prefers acid soil, though it takes more lime than most heaths. Shelter it from winter sun and sweeping wind, which burn the leaves, and keep it out of hot spots. Set plants 4 feet apart and keep them 3 feet from a wall. At its size it can go within 15 feet of overhead wires. Saplings ship potted. It can be hard to transplant and to establish, so keep the root ball whole when you plant. Plant in early spring or fall, in a hole wider than the root ball and no deeper, and put the native soil back in. Mulch with pine needles or leaves, kept off the stems. The seed needs no chilling or other treatment. Sow it on the surface of a damp, fine mix at room temperature, under a clear cover in daylight. Most comes up within a month, and the seedlings grow very slowly at first. Water weekly through the first two summers, so the soil does not dry out. Guard young plants from deer where they are common. It tolerates pruning, but next year's flower buds form in midsummer, so prune right after bloom. Cutting off the spent flowers brings more bloom the next year. Mountain fetterbush carries both male and female parts in each flower, and small bees pollinate it. Its close relative Japanese pieris sets seed with its own pollen, so one plant should bear alone. A plant near Japanese pieris can cross with it, which is how the garden hybrid Brouwer's Beauty arose. Stem rot takes plants where drainage is poor. The leaves and flowers are highly poisonous if eaten. ## Sources - [USDA Forest Service, Woody Plant Seed Manual (2008), Pieris chapter](https://www.fs.usda.gov/nsl/Wpsm/Pieris.pdf) - [NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: Pieris floribunda](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pieris-floribunda/) - [UConn Plant Database: Pieris floribunda](https://plantdatabase.uconn.edu/detail.php?pid=317) - [Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Pieris floribunda](https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PIFL) - [Flora of North America, vol. 8: Pieris floribunda](http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250065685) - [Trees and Shrubs Online: Pieris floribunda](https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/pieris/pieris-floribunda/) - [Go Botany, Native Plant Trust: Pieris floribunda](https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/pieris/floribunda/) - [NatureServe Explorer: Pieris floribunda](https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.151402/Pieris_floribunda) - [Tennessee Natural Heritage Program: Rare Plant List 2025](https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/environment/natural-areas/documents/na_tn-rare-plant-list.pdf) - [North Carolina Natural Heritage Program: 2024 Rare Plant List, revised 11/03/2025](https://www.ncnhp.org/media/833/open) - [Georgia Biodiversity Portal, rare plants table exported July 7, 2026](https://georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/table/plants) ## Read before planting - [Ten planting mistakes that quietly kill trees](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/ten-planting-mistakes/index.html.md) - [Transplanting young trees: timing, water and protection](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/transplanting-young-trees/index.html.md) - [Protecting young trees from voles, rabbits, deer and squirrels](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/protecting-trees-from-animals/index.html.md) - [The habitat around a tree is part of the tree](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/habitat-around-a-tree/index.html.md) - [Invasive vines and shrubs are what is killing your woods](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/invasive-vines-and-shrubs/index.html.md) - [Native trees and shrubs for birds: caterpillars, fruit, mast, nests and winter cover, month by month](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/native-trees-for-birds/index.html.md) ## Related - [Planting-site check](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/site-check/index.html.md): for a thrive, struggle or fail verdict on Mountain Fetterbush, add ?species=mountain-fetterbush with zone (2 to 10), sun (full, part, shade) and moisture (dry, average, wet) to that address, for example ?species=mountain-fetterbush&zone=4&sun=part&moisture=average. - [Companion species for Mountain Fetterbush](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/companions/index.html.md?species=mountain-fetterbush): the natives that share its ground and the plants that pair with it in a yard. - [Growth estimator](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/growth/index.html.md): how the height and trunk projections are made; the estimate itself runs in the browser at https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/growth/#species=mountain-fetterbush - [Seed sowing planner](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/sowing/index.html.md): how Mountain Fetterbush is sown, in the chart for every species (treatment, cold days, depth, timing); the dated plan runs in the browser at https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/sowing/#species=mountain-fetterbush - [Pollination planner](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/pollination/index.html.md): what Mountain Fetterbush needs for a crop and how many to plant, in the table for every species; the planner runs in the browser at https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/pollination/#plants=mountain-fetterbush:1 - [Bloom and fruit calendar](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/calendar/index.html.md): the months Mountain Fetterbush flowers and fruits, in the grid for every species.