How to Grow Glossy Abelia
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.
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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.
