General Culture:

Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Best flowering in full sun. Prefers moist, organically rich soils which drain well. Somewhat evergreen in the South, but generally deciduous in the St. Louis area where stems may suffer substantial damage (including dying to the ground) in cold winters. Significant stem damage can be expected when winter temperatures approach zero degrees F. Best sited in a protected location in the St. Louis area. Blooms on new wood, so prune as needed (e.g., remove stems lost to winter and, if desired, thin to the ground up to 1/3 of old stems) in late winter to early spring.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

This abelia hybrid is a dwarf, rounded, spreading, multi-stemmed shrub in the honeysuckle family. It typically grows on gracefully arching branches to a mature height of 2-2.5' in the St. Louis area, but usually taller (to 3.5' tall) in the warm winter climates of the South (USDA Zones 8-9). In years where the stems die to the ground in winter but the plant survives, flowering will still occur, but on smaller plants that typically reach a height of only 9-12". Features clusters of white-tinged-pink, bell-shaped flowers (to 5/8" long) which appear over a long and continuous late spring to fall bloom period. Ovate, glossy, dark green leaves (to 1" long) turn purplish-green in autumn. This dwarf shrub is about 1/2 the size of the popular Abelia x grandiflora (see J150).