ShrubsDiscover the right shrubs for your garden.

Funshine ® abelia ( Abelia grandiflora ) . pic by Proven Winners .

With today ’s busybodied modus vivendi , homeowners are always looking for elbow room to liven up up their landscape without a lot of effort . Abeliais an ornamental bush that is under - appreciated and underused in many component of the country and is worth a second look . Grown for its attractive foliage and exceptionally long bloom clock time , it is virtually criminal maintenance - free once ground . The eye - take in leaves come in many unlike coloring — from gold to Burgundy wine — that often change throughout the growing time of year . Fragrant tubelike prime efflorescence for months , realize it a nonstop intellectual nourishment source for hummingbird , butterflies and worm pollinators .

Related to honeysuckle , the genusAbeliaincludes 30 species of deciduous and evergreen shrub that are native to Eastern Asia and Mexico . Glossy abelia ( A.xgrandiflora ) , the most common garden species , produces sheeny semi - evergreen leave in cold zones , while retaining yr - round color in warm region . novel loan-blend are cover for unique foliage color , showier flowers and compact sizes more suitable to low urban plenty .

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On this page : The Basics|Planting|Care and Maintenance|Choosing the Right Abelia|Pictures|Landscaping Tips

On this Sir Frederick Handley Page :

ABELIA BASICS

Zones:

4 to 11 , depart by type

Height/Spread:

Upright arching habit , 2 to 10 feet magniloquent and 2 to 8 groundwork wide

Exposure:

Full Sunday to partial shade ; leafage colour and peak are expert in full Lord’s Day .

Bloom time:

leap to strike

Color and characteristics:

Oval , place leaves up to two inch long are make on refined , arch branches . Foliage is glossy light-green or yellow , with hints of rose , orange , bronze or burgundy . Some are vary or multi - dyed . Many varieties have leaves that change color as the seasons progression . Tubular flowers with four or five petals form in clusters on the tips of the prow . The small flowers , which are usually fragrant , come in tincture of white , pinkish and yellow . Other attributes include colored sepal and root , fall color and exfoliating barque .

Toxicity:

Abelia is not recognise to be toxic to children or pets , and is sometimes used as hedging for pastures .

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS

When to plant:

Plant during milder month of spring or fall to debar heat or insensate focus .

Where to plant:

Choose a gay to lightly fill in site with prolific , well - drain land that will stay evenly moist .

How to plant:

relax soil in the planting area and amend with compost . take away works from container and gently tease out base or slice the radical nut in several place if potbound . jab a hole slightly deeper than the root ball and double as wide . put the flora in the hole so the top of the root ball is slenderly above ground level . Fill in the pickle , tamp down down filth around the base and water well . Spacing depend on the variety .

CARE AND MAINTENANCE

Sweet Emotion ® abelia ( Abelila mosanensis ) . Photo by Proven Winners .

Pruning and deadheading:

Abelia looks well when allowed to retain its natural shape and size of it . Since glossy abelia ( A.xgrandiflora ) flower on new Grant Wood , prune in late winter to early spring before new outgrowth emerges so that flowers are not sacrifice . Remove any dead or damaged branches , and thin as necessitate to further novel shoot . Lightly prune to shape . Some variety produce long , errant watershoots ( thin shoots that mature out of the trunk or branch ) ; reduce those out whenever they look . To invigorate your abelia , thin out up to a third of the arm every few years . Deciduous variety that flower on old wood ( such asA. mosanensis ) should be pruned softly as needed just after inflorescence .

Soil:

Abelia prefers more or less acidic , organically plentiful ground that ’s prevent pretty moist and drains well , but is tolerant of a kind of conditions .

Amendments & fertilizer:

Apply a slow - release fertilizer formulated for woody plants in former spring . Mulch around the theme geographical zone with organic matter to retain wet and suppress weeds .

Watering:

Though drought and heat tolerant once established , it performs best with unconstipated lachrymation . Irrigate once or twice a workweek during summer .

Diseases and pests:

When planted in optimum conditions , abelia exhibits few , if any problem . potential diseases includepowdery mildewandanthracnose . pestis includeaphids .

Deer resistance:

Deer will leave it alone for the most part , though extreme conditions can result in deer grazing on plant they would n’t otherwise .

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT ABELIA

With different size and figure to choose from , here are some tips to consider :

For borders and landscapes:

Choose varieties that will fit the exfoliation of your landscape painting . Use as hedging , block out , in a mixed border , as foundation plantings or a stand - alone focal point . verify to allow way for plants to ripen without becoming crowded .

For slopes and hillsides:

Select varieties suitable to the size of it of your place and bulk along a slope or hillside for erosion control condition .

For containers:

Dwarf type will stay small and not overwhelm a quad . Use as a suffer - alone focal point in a container , or grouping with other containerized flora for maximum ocular impact .

ABELIA PICTURES

photograph by : Proven Winners

Funshine ® —Buy now from Proven WinnersAbeliaxgrandiflora

Zones:6 - 9Height / Spread : Dwarf , compact riding habit , 2 to 3 human foot tall and wideExposure : Full sun to fond shadeBloom Time : other summertime to early fallColor : unexampled leaves emerge with tones of yellow , orange tree and caramel , age to a yellow green - green hue , with pallid lavender flowers .

Funshine Abelia Plant, Abelia Grandiflora
Proven Winners
Sycamore, IL

Flowers are gently fragrant . The succinct size of it is ideal for containers , as low hedging , or massed in the landscape .

Brilliantina ® —Buy now from Proven WinnersAbeliaxgrandiflora

Zones:6 - 9Height / Spread : Mounded riding habit , 3 to 4 feet tall and 3 to 5 ft wideExposure : Full sun to partial shadeBloom metre : former leap to early fallColor : white-livered and green variegate leave of absence , light pink flowers

Funshine Abelia Plant, Abelia Grandiflora
Proven Winners
Sycamore, IL

Brilliantina ® abelia offers a tidy form , fragrant light pink blossom , and vibrant leafage for three season of interest . Heat - broad and low - maintenance , it ’s perfect for the middle of the border .

Poco Loco ® —Buy now from Proven WinnersAbeliaxgrandiflora

Zones:6 - 9Height / Spread : mound habit , 2 to 3 feet magniloquent and wideExposure : Full sunshine to partial shadeBloom Time : former spring to former fallColor : Spring foliage is burnished yellow and orange , maturing to green with pink new growth and soft pinkish flower .

Funshine Abelia Plant, Abelia Grandiflora
Proven Winners
Sycamore, IL

Poco Loco ® abelia is a stocky , mounded shrub that cede liberal impact in a small-scale size , growing just 2 - 3 feet tall . It ’s high temperature - kind , cervid - resistant , and attract butterfly and hummingbird all time of year long .

Tres Amigos ® —Buy now from Proven WinnersAbelia grandiflora

Zones:6 - 9Height / Spread : Mounding riding habit , 2 to 3 feet tall , 2 to 5 fundament wideExposure : Full sun to fond shadeBloom Time : summertime through fallColor : Tri - colour leaf ( greenish , pink , and yellow ) , with fragrant white flowers .

Funshine Abelia Plant, Abelia Grandiflora
Proven Winners
Sycamore, IL

Tres Amigos ® abelia offers vibrant tri - color leaf that change with the season , follow by long - blooming and fragrant white flowers . Its summary habit makes it versatile and easy to incorporate into many garden stylus .

Mucho Gusto ® —Buy now from Proven WinnersAbeliaxgrandiflora

Zones:6 - 9Height / Spread : Mounded habit , 24 to 42 inches marvelous , 36 to 60 in wideExposure : Partial to full sunBloom Time : SummerColor : Variegated foliage , whitened flowers .

An easy - care variegated abelia that is a stiff grower . It ’s fragrant white blossom attract bees and butterfly .

Sweet Emotion ® —Buy now from Proven WinnersAbelia mosanensis

Zones:4 - 8Height / Spread : Upright habit , 5 to 6 feet grandiloquent and wideExposure : Full sun to partial shadeBloom meter : Mid to late springColor : Green foliage , orange - red gloam colour . pinkish bud open to blanched flowers .

One of the hardiest deciduous diverseness , it blooms on old wood and should be lightly pruned after bloom . shining green leaves turn fiery orange - red in fall . Plant as a hedge , in borders , or near entrances to enjoy the jasmine - same fragrance .

Photo by : Aykut Alakoc / Shutterstock

‘ Kaleidoscope’Abeliaxgrandiflora

Zones:6 - 9Height / Spread : Upright spreading habit , 2 to 3 foundation tall and 3 to 4 feet wideExposure : Full Sunday to partial shadeBloom meter : recent spring through fallColor : newfangled green leave with jaundiced edge turn gold in summertime , then fervent red in fall and winter . White flower flower on red stem .

‘ Kaleidoscope ’ bid year - round color with ever - changing leafage and is the longest blooming mixed bag . Its dwarf size suits belittled space , container , or quite a little plantings .

Photo by : Gurcharan Singh / Shutterstock

‘ Radiance’Abeliaxgrandiflora

Zones:6 - 9Height / Spread:2 to 3 feet marvellous and 3 to 4 feet wideExposure : Full sun to fond shadeBloom Time : Mid - summer to former fallColor : New leaves are unripe with pale yellowish margins , aging to ash grey - green edged with emollient . White flowers are give birth on crimson shank , while the bright foliage lights up part shaded areas .

Plant as hedging , massed in a landscape , in containers , or as a foundation planting .

Photo by : Tim Ludwig / Millette Photomedia

‘ Edward Goucher’Abeliahybrid

Zones:6 - 9Height / Spread : mound summary substance abuse , 3 to 6 metrical unit tall and 3 to 5 feet wideExposure : Full sun to partial shadeBloom Time : Mid - summertime through mid - fallColor : Lavender - pink bloom , red prow and sepals . Green foliage turns bronze in fall . Showy rise - pink flowers contrast dramatically with the burgundy - red sepal and base .

blossom on newfangled wood , so prune as need in late winter or early spring . works as screening or as a foundation planting .

LANDSCAPING TIPS

There are many way to comprise abelia into your landscape painting . Here ’s how :