Abelia
Abelias (Abelia) are deciduous to semi-evergreen shrubs from East Asia, mainly China, with gracefully arching branches. They are valued for their long, scented flowering of small white to pink trumpet flowers, and for the coppery calyces that remain after the flowers have dropped, set against foliage that often turns purplish in autumn.
Glossy Abelia
Abelia grandiflora
Abelia × grandiflora is a vigorous garden hybrid of Abelia chinensis and Abelia uniflora, forming a rounded shrub slightly wider than tall, up to around 2.5 m. Its glossy, dark green, semi-evergreen leaves turn purplish in autumn. From July to September or October it bears clusters of scented, pinkish-white to mauve funnel-shaped flowers, followed by long-lasting russet calyces.
Location and soil
Grows in sun or partial shade in any well-drained soil, including chalky and fairly poor ground; avoid heavy, wet clay. Once established it tolerates drought well. It withstands moderate frost for short periods; in a severe winter the leaves may drop or shoot tips may die back, but the shrub usually recovers. A sheltered position is best in colder areas.
Pruning and care
Low-maintenance and rarely troubled by pests or diseases. Tidy the shrub at the end of winter, from February to April, by removing dead, thin or crossing stems at the base; hedges can be trimmed with shears at the same time to keep them dense. Water regularly in the first two summers and mulch the base before winter for the first few years.
Use in the garden
A versatile shrub for mixed borders, as a solitary specimen and for informal or clipped flowering hedges, combining well with deutzias, roses with single flowers and other summer-flowering shrubs. It can also be grown in a very large container. Over the long flowering season it draws butterflies and bees.
