Abelia × grandiflora and Its Colorful Cultivars

Graceful, arching branches clothed in glossy, oval leaves (½–1½ inches) with bronzy new growth. Tubular or bell-shaped flowers cluster at branch tips or among leaves, blooming mostly summer into fall. When blossoms drop, purplish or copper sepals persist, adding fall color; leaves may also turn bronzy.

To maintain the shrub’s natural form, prune selectively—don’t shear. Cutting more stems to the ground in winter or early spring yields more open, arching growth. Abelias are versatile: shrub borders, space dividers, visual barriers, near walls; lower forms work as bank or groundcovers.

Abelia × grandiflora (Species)

Cross of two Chinese species; best-known abelia. To 8+ feet tall, 5+ feet wide. Loses most leaves at 15°F (–9°C); freezes to ground at 0°F (–18°C) but usually recovers to bloom same year as a 10–15 inch border plant.

Notable Cultivars

• ‘Kaleidoscope’: Dwarf evergreen with chameleon foliage—golden yellow in spring, orange-red in fall. Year-round color. From Sunset Western Garden Collection.
• ‘Little Richard’: Dwarf (2–3 ft high, 4 ft wide), shiny dark green leaves persistent in cold. White flowers.
• ‘Mardi Gras’: 2–3 ft high, 4–5 ft wide, leaves edged/splashed pink and creamy white. Pale pink to white flowers.
• ‘Prostrata’: Low grower (1½–2 ft tall, 4–5 ft wide). Groundcover, bank planting, foreground shrub. White flowers.
• ‘Sherwoodii’: Dense, compact, refined (3–4 ft tall, 5 ft wide). Lavender flowers.
• ‘Sunrise’: Densely branched, bronzy green leaves turning red/purple in fall. 3–6 ft tall and wide. White flowers.