Illustration
Avalanche Pieris
Pieris japonica 'Avalanche'
Also called avalanche andromeda
Avalanche Pieris blooms from April through May.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Avalanche Pieris
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–8. Expect it to reach about 4.5 ft tall and 4.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 5 years (a house reading).
Is Avalanche Pieris toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs and cats by NC State Extension and Royal Horticultural Society.
- Listed as poisonous to people by NC State Extension and Royal Horticultural Society.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant, with what the sources could not settle written down; years to mature size rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one, and is marked so; its common name and alternate names have not been checked yet. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Avalanche Pieris
Plant Avalanche Pieris in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 8, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from April to May.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Avalanche Pieris get?
4.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult4.5 ftwideSee Avalanche Pieris in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Avalanche Pieris
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Avalanche Pieris about 4.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Avalanche Pieris to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Avalanche Pieris' height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 9 published sources on October 5, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Plant Addictsthe queue's store page; Brand: Plants That Workheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil and pests
- pridescorner.comPrides Corner Farms (wholesale grower, Lebanon, Connecticut; its Plant...height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil and pests
- Missouri Botanical GardenPieris japonica, species pageheight, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, soil, diseases and pests
- plantdatabase.uconn.eduUniversity of Connecticut Plant Database (Pieris japonica, species page)hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, soil, diseases and pests
- spotswoodgreenery.comSpotswood Greenery (online nursery)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and soil
- NC State ExtensionPieris japonica, species pagewater, trait tags, soil, diseases and toxicity
- gardencentermarketing.comGarden Center Marketing (Clarity Connect's plant signage library)height, spread and hardiness zones
- ASPCAToxic and Non-toxic Plants: Pieristoxicity
- catskillnativenursery.infoCatskill Native Nursery (Kerhonkson, New York)pests
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.