Are you looking for a flowering shrub that provides excellent color options throughout the season, is low-maintenance, deer-resistant, great for pollinators, and works in limited space? Abelia may be the choice for you. Here is a list of some of the top varieties Meadows Farms has in stock right now that you need to try out:
Kaleidoscope Abelia
Abelia ‘Kaleidoscope’ is one of the easiest, most versatile plants for your garden. The attractive, evergreen foliage provides three seasons of distinct color: greenish-yellow in the spring, gold in the summer, and beautiful burnt reds in the fall. Adding to its showy appeal, ‘Kaleidoscope’ also adds small, white blooms throughout the summer months. Its low growth habit (2-3 feet width and spread) make ‘Kaleidoscope’ ideal as a low hedge or mass groundcover planting. For more information, check out the listing on our Plant Finder tool.
Edward Goucher Abelia
A hybrid of Abelia Grandiflora, ‘Edward Goucher’ is a compact, semi-evergreen shrub with an upright growth habit of 3 to 5 feet in both height and width. The foliage is very similar to the glossy variety but is tinged with bronze when emerging as new growth. Mid-summer brings clusters of bell-shaped, lilac-pink blooms that last until the fall season. ‘Edward Goucher’ is a low maintenance plant that does best in light shade to full sun. For more information, check out the listing on our Plant Finder tool.
Abelia Grandiflora
Also known as Glossy Abelia, this rounded, semi-evergreen shrub covered with small, dark green oval leaves with a glossy sheen is quite attractive throughout the year. From late spring until fall the Glossy Abelia is covered with slightly-fragrant, bell-shaped white flowers with a hint of pink that is great for attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies. They grow to a height and width of 3-6 feet (but can be trimmed to maintain compact shape) and do best in either full sun or part shade. For more information, check out the listing on our Plant Finder tool.
Abelia Rose Creek
An attractive variety with glossy green foliage that turns shades of bronze and burgundy in the fall and winter. The white blooms in the summer months mix with rose sepals, which gives this abelia its “rosy” name. These are great for smaller areas of the garden, as it grows to a height and width of around 4 feet but can be trimmed to remain smaller as needed. For more information, check out the listing on our Plant Finder tool.
Abelia Sunshine Daydream
This moderate grower offers a showy display of year-round interest. The tricolor tinge of pinks, whites, and greens on new foliage mature to a golden yellow and green hue with hints of pink throughout the rest of the season. Like many other varieties of abelia, ‘Sunshine Daydream complements its showy foliage display with a mass of fragrant white flowers during the summer. ‘Sunshine Daydream’ is low-maintenance and can even tolerate a bit of heat and drought. For more information, check out the listing on our Plant Finder tool.
Hi, I live in Phoenix. Could you recommend the most heat tolerant of these abelias? Or, do they all need some shade? Our summers can be brutal but maybe when established it will still perform…..
JoAnne
Hi JoAnne. For the most part, all of the Abelia varieties are heat and drought tolerant. I think a little bit of shade, particularly in the intense heat of the afternoon hours may be best for them starting out. As long as they get 6 or so hours of sun they should work great.
Which varietal is the abelia in the lead photo? It looks the most like a beautiful tree in my neighbor’s yard that spills over our fence. It looks a bit different than the other photos. It also blooms spectacularly in late spring (New England) and is highly fragrant. Thanks!
I believe that is a Sherwoodii variety of Abelia. They have those really nice lavender flowers.
Are all abelias fragrant?
Not all of them. There is a variety called Abelia mosanensis, or Korean abelia, which is similar to the fragrance of lilac, but I haven’t seen those available for sale through our vendors.
I live near Clearwater Fl. and would like to have a hedge of Abelia’s of different variety in full afternoon sun. I would like to invite butterflies,bees,hummingbirds to my yard .This hedge can not be more than 4 feet tall.Can this be done with low maintenance? Thanks
Hi, Peter. This is quite doable. Abelia is a low-maintenance shrub that requires very little care outside of watering once planted. Most varieties do get taller and wider than 4 feet, so you may need to do some light pruning after the flowering season once it begins to get taller than you like to maintain your height requirements.
I have a very tall privet hedge border on a corner lot. The corner area is deep and stemmy at the base. Would an abelia provide interest and color to this corner?
It will be fine so long as it gets enough sunlight in that area. Abelia needs at least 6 hours of sun daily in order to bloom well. Otherwise, that would be a good place for an abelia.
I have planted Abelia looked like compact type in sandy clay soil.It had pink blooms when I planted 2 years ago.Survived the winter in northern virginia but other than round growth it hasnt bloom at all.I love the fragrant blooms and attracting the wildlife birds and bees I would like to plant more abelias that grow more like bush instead compact.But I also need to figure out why my compact abelia hasnt bloom?any advise ? Thank you in advance
The soil that it is in might be hindering root growth, which could in turn stunt the blooms on these. I would try amending the soil around it with good compost and adding a high phosphorus fertilizer to help encourage root growth. This should help push out new blooms. Also, make sure it is getting enough sunlight in the area it’s planted. Abelias need full sun to part shade (4-6 hours) and with too much shade that can also hinder root growth. If it’s not getting enough sun you may want to try and transplant it this fall before it gets too cold so the roots have time to establish before the summer heats return next year.
Plant it now, just make sure that you’re giving it plenty of water during hot, dry spells to help with root growth.
I’m looking for an abelia that is native to Virginia and not a cultivar. Which do you recommend?
Unfortunately, I’m not aware of any Abelia varieties that are native to our areas. Most of the ones I’ve seen are all cultivars.
I live in ND Florida, zone 8, and am thinking of replacing holly hedge with Anemia, not more than 5′ high to make pining easy.
Sorry if this is a duplicate post, my internet is running slow
Hi,
We’ve got a few 2-3ft Abelias in front of our townhouse that have been there for many years. (planted by previous owner) We’ve lived here 6 years and honestly not done much with the front plot, since our community uses a once a week landscaping company for general maintenance (has changed companies many times). We noticed them looking scraggly last fall and carefully pruned off some lichen infected branches and dead growth in January. There is now more linchen and bright green moss as well on many of the branches and I’m finding conflicting info for care on the internet. They are also in the shade until about 3/4pm each day and this winter replaced the mulch the landscaping company put down because it was growing white mold….. So my question is: should we prune these plants down to nubs and hope for regrowth? Will they ever really thrive in such a shady area or should we try to transplant to a sunnier area? OR are they doomed and we should bite the bullet and rip them out?
Hi, Cara. It may be a good idea to try transplanting them into a sunnier spot. Abelias tend to do best in full sun to partial shade (a couple of hours at most). The sunlight should clear out the moss growth. Don’t prune them to nubs though. Just prune enough to shape and clean out any dead areas. See if that helps and if they have not shown improvement this season than it might be best to start over after that. But I think if they get more sunlight they’ll do fine.
I have Kaleidascope Abelia had very cold spell with temps low as 12 below 0, are my plant likely to survive? Not looking good now!
It’s difficult to say as 12 below temps are rare for them. They will likely look pretty bad this season as they recover from the shock they went through. Keep an eye on them and they should hopefully flush out some new growth as it warms up. If you don’t see any new growth throughout the spring and they continue to go downhill, they may need to be replaced.
I love the Kaleidoscope abelias, but having a challenge finding it in local nurseries. I did find the Canyon creek abelia. What is the difference between the two?
Kaleidoscope has variegated leaves while the Canyon Creek varieties have traditional green leaves. Also, I believe Canyon Creek are semi-evergreen in our area, while Kaleidoscope are evergreen. Other than that their growth and habit are practically identical.
Do abelias lose their foliage in the winter
It depends on the variety. There are some, like Kaleidoscope, that are considered evergreens in our area. Most though are semi-evergreen, meaning they will lose around 50% of their foliage in the winter months before flushing back out the following spring.
I am searching for dwarf abelia for a circular flower bed and am finding only varieties that grow taller than I want. Can you recommend an abelia that is small. I’m hoping for one with pink flowers and glossy green leaves but size is the most important factor. I live in zone 8.
I’m looking for a fragrant abelia that would do well in morning sun in New Hampshire zone 5.
Most Camellias a safe down to zone 6, so there aren’t that many I know of that will work. There is a variety called “Korean Fire” that claims to be hardy to zone 5, so that might be an option.
Hi Mike, I’m in Palo Alto CA. I think it is zone 9b? Looking for an Abelia that will be predominantly evergreen and will tolerate full sun mostly all day. I want to use it as a border enclosure/hedge/fence in very small front yard (300-350 sq. ft.) where it meets the sidewalk. I can’t let it get over 5 feet tall. Very clay soil. I love this plant so much and would like to make it work but it may be too much all day sun?
Thank you for any input. Ryna
Hi, Ryna. Most abelias will stay within the height requirements you’re looking for. The exception would be Glossy Abelia, which can grow to 6 feet tall. Most will spread to 4 feet, so you may need to trim some up if it’s in a small space. All varieties will tolerate full sun, so long as they get plenty of water in the first couple of years so that their root systems establish well. As long as you amend the clay soil with a good, rich planting mix, they should grow well. We have heavy clay soil here in northern VA and most grow fine here. Overall, I don’t think you’ll have many problems.
Thank you Mike, that is helpful. I was hoping to plant the Glossy Abelia but if it grows too tall that will be a problem. Spread is not the problem, it’s the height since it’s next to the city sidewalks and there are height restrictions. But I’m hoping to block out views from all passerby traffic due to my small tiny house is only 18ft from the sidewalk and has no privacy. In you experience, is there an Abelia that will definitely grow to 5ft if well cared for? Thanks again!
Can a Kaleidoscope Abelia be trained to get taller then 3′ ?
Does the Rose Creek Abelia attract humming birds, butterflies and bees? Is it an evergreen?
Are there any abelias that can survive Michigan temps? I think we are zone zone 5 although our winters have been significantly milder over the years. We had abelia in NC and loved how maintenance free they were!
can abelia be in intense afternoon sun? from about 1pm on.
Abelia can thrive in full sun environments, even the intense afternoon sun. However, at least for the first few years, I would monitor watering during those times. The intense sun will dry them out faster. Make sure they get plenty of water and that you avoid watering on the leaves themselves to protect them from sun scorch.
My husband and I just bought a new home and believe we have two abelia shrubs. One is larger than the other because one is growing under the canopy of a tree. I trimmed down some of the scragglier branches just this last week (11th of September) but then read you should prune in late winter or early spring. I want to keep these shrubs around 2 1/2 ft. tall and wide because they’re in a raised landscaped bed next to the house. I need to know how far back should I trim them this coming winter/spring? I plan on pruning out all the old dead branches and also taking down the branches to the ground that produce the top sprouts that grow wildly out of top of the shrub to keep it more in check. Appreciate any help with your knowledge as I’m not that familiar with abelias. It’s it full bloom now and is absolutely beautiful do would hate to lose it from any mishandling on my part. Thank you.
Hi, Jackie. Cutting out the dead portions and trimming back the wild shoots is a good start. If the shrubs are already the size you are looking for, or close to it, a good 3-inch pruning this winter/spring will allow you to keep them at a consistent height while not sacrificing blooms. If you need to do more drastic pruning to get them to the 2 1/2 feet you’re looking for, you can do that, but you may sacrifice blooms for next season. For this, you can prune to the size you want this winter, and then during the growing season snip any new shoots that come out of the center to maintain the size you’re looking for. Camellias grow fairly quickly, so they should recover fairly quickly and be back to blooming again next season.
I just planted four Abelias in my yard. I am worried about them because they are in a pretty much fully shaded area. Maybe receiving one hour of part sun a day because I have a massive willow oak tree in my yard that doesn’t let much sun through. How do you think they will do in this location? Do you think it is worth it to try and grow them in this location?
Camellias do like to have some filtered light/shade during the day, especially in hot climates like ours can get in the summer. However, they bloom best when they get more sunlight throughout the day. So while I don’t think your camellias will have trouble growing in the conditions you describe, you may notice little to no blooms on them due to the lack of light.
I live in zone 8a (N. Texas) and would like to grow an Abelia on the NW corner of my house where the 8 ft fence meets the house. This area is in shade until 1:00 pm and then is in part sun/part shade until 5:00 pm at which time it’s then in full sun. Would this plant grow well in those conditions?
I think Abelia would be fine in that environment. You’ll have part sun to full sun for the second half of the day, which should provide enough light. You’ll just need to keep an eye on the water during the hottest months, especially the first year after planting. But I think most Abelias would work fine for you.
Are there any Abelias that do not get over 4′ tall without pruning?
We live in California by Silicon Valley.We have Abella Grandifloras that surround the Patiola in the backyard. They are planted by the fence so they get plenty of sunlight in the morning and just a little in the afternoon. They bear flowers all year round but from April to October they produce more flowers. We have built in irrigation system which automatically water the plants every other day but on summer time we water them daily between 7pm to 8pm during the sunset. We have them for a year now and they have long stems now so what I did, I tied the long stems at the middle of the shrubs and right now they look like fountain of flowers. They attract lots of white butterflies and bees, so amazing and relaxing to look at.