Abelia is a famous shrub that grows from 1 to 6 feet tall. Native to eastern Asia such as Japan West to Himalaya and Southern part of North Mexico, they are a genus with 30 species and hybrids in honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae.
During summer or early fall, the shrub blooms small bell-shaped flowers in clusters at ends of branches or among its leaves. One indication that flowers are about to blossom are the presence of butterflies particularly tiger swallowtail feasting on the plant.
Bees and butterflies just love the fragrance of the white to pink flowers, which last for several weeks. The shrub is prided with glossy dark green leaves which turn purplish bronze to red in autumn.
They cover the graceful and arching branches of the shrubs. If the flowers have five lobes, the leaves, which extend to one and a half inches long, have three verticils. With its showy display of blooms are splendid in covering the ground, that even when the petals drop, the shrubs are still a beauty with their copper sepals that color the surroundings during fall. Caring for the plant is not difficult. It prefers selective pruning, and shies away when sheared.
Many garden experts recommend trimming more stems to the ground in winter or early spring for more open and arching shrub growth. Adaptable plants they are; they prove their worth as borders, visual barriers, near-house walls, and space dividers.
A lover of heat, the plant grows best when it is situated between light shade and full sun exposure. To avoid getting dry, watering regularly is advised; however, one must be careful not to over water it. In spring, propagation can be done through leaf cuttings, herbaceous stem cutting, and woody stem cuttings.Of the many species that belong to such genus, 7 garnered the highest popularity.
They are Abelia x grandiflora, Edward Goucher, Kaleidoscope, Little Richard, Prostrata, Sunrise and Sherwood. Abelia x grandiflora is a cross between two Chinese species.
It is the most famous of the Abelias with its 8 feet maximum growth and 5 feet maximum width. It may lose its leaves when temperature drops at 15 degrees Fahrenheit.
Although it freezes to the ground at zero degrees Fahrenheit, the shrub recovers to bloom the same year to grace the borders.
Edward Goucher is lacier, more compact and less hardy. Its maximum growth is 3 feet and bears tiny lilac pink flowers with orange throats.
Kaleidoscope can grow between 2 and 3 feet and can be as wide as 5 feet. Its leaves are stunningly yellow while its flowers are pure white.
Little Richard is a dwarf species at 2 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Its shimmering dark green leaves survive longer in cold winters. It too has scented white blooms. The Prostrata variety is low grower at 1 feet, making it excellent as groundcover, foreground shrub and bank planting.
Sunrise variety boasts of bronzy green leaves that turn red and purple in fall. It grows up to 6 feet tall and wide. Sherwood ?sherwoodii? are proud to display their lavender flowers. They tower over other shrubs at 6 feet tall and wide.
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