Stephen Albert
Glossy abelia is a dense, semi-evergreen shrub that bears a profusion of delicate, lightly fragrant, funnel-shaped white and pink flowers. Dark green ovate or rounded leaves are opposite and turn bronze purple in fall.
Abelia is a genus of small shrubs native to Asia and Mexico. Abelia thrives best in a sunny, sheltered location.
Give Abelia a well-drained sandy loam with plenty of leafmold or peat worked in to encourage growth.
Flowers are rather small, tubular or bell-shaped, abundantly produced in summer on young growth, and vary in color from white to pink or rose.
Cuttings taken in late summer root readily. In cold winter regions, plants can be overwintered a warm indoor location and planted out in spring to flower that year.
Get to Know Glossy Abelia
- Plant type: Shrub
- Growing Zones and range: 6-9
- Hardiness: Half-hardy
- Height and width: 4 to 8 feet (1.2-2.4m) tall and 4 to 5 feet (1.2-1.5m) wide.
- Foliage: Ovate to rounded leaves are opposite
- Flowers: White surrounded by rust-colored sepals.
- Bloom time: Summer and fall
- Uses: Informal hedge
- Common name: Glossy Abelia
- Botanical name: Abelia x grandiflora
- Family: Caprifoliaceae
- Origin: The Himalayas to Eastern Asia, also Mexico
Where to Plant Glossy Abelia
- Plant abelia in full sun to light or medium shade.
- Grow glossy abelia in humus-rich, well-drained, acidic soil.
When to Plant Glossy Abelia
- Set container-grown glossy abelia in the garden in spring or fall. Work aged compost into the soil at planting time.
Planting and Spacing Glossy Abelia
- Space glossy abelia 4 to 5 feet (1.2-1.5m) apart.
How to Water and Feed Glossy Abelia
- Glossy abelia needs abundant water; keep the soil evenly moist.
- Glossy abelia does not need fertilizer in most conditions.
Glossy Abelia Care
- Mulch around abelia with aged compost.
- Prune glossy abelia in late winter or early spring.
- Glossy abelia makes a good informal hedge. It is prettiest when not sheared.
- To preserve glossy abelia’s graceful form, cut out selected branches at the plant’s base.
- Glossy abelia is usually free of pest and disease. Powdery mildew may occur.
Glossy Abelia Problems
- Abelia is susceptible to antrhacnose, leaf spots, powdery mildew, and fungal root rots.
Glossy Abelia Propagation
- Root greenwood cuttings in early summer, or semi-ripe cuttings in late summer.
Abelia Varieties to Grow
- Abelia chinensis: Deciduous shrub grows 4 to 5 feet (1.2-1.5m)tall with fragrant, pink-tinted white flowers ins summer and fall; attracts butterflies.
- A. grandiflora, glossy abelia: Evergreen grows to 8 feet (2.4m) tall or taller and spreads to 5 feet wide or more; flowers are white or tinged pink; stems freeze at 0°F/-18°C; cultivars include ‘Sherwoodii’ has fine-textured foliage and grows 3 to 5 feet tall and wide, and ‘Francis Mason’ grows compact 3 to 4 feet tall and wide and has variegated leaves.
