Abelia

Hello All,

Isn't this spring weather wonderful! :-) I have been reviewing several plants that I wish to add this year and thought I would come to this forum for some first hand experience with one of them.

Does anyone have experience with Abelia in this area? I read that it is supposed to have a nice scent and would be relatively low maintenance. Of course, the best way to find out if this is really true is to ask those who actually have experience with "said shrub". :-)

Additionally, if there are specific types of Abelia that are better than others for fragrance, I would appreciate suggestions.

Thank you very much for any guidance you can give this novice. :-)


Janine

Janine, some of the Abelias are terrific! Glossy Abelia, Abelia x grandiflora http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/368/ is probably one of the most common and flowers for a long time. There is a planting at the post office here in town that blooms non-stop all summer. There are a few new hybrids - Kaleidoscope http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/132670/ is one of them with lovely variegated foliage. 'Frances Mason' http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/56815/ is an older variegated Abelia and I always loved the lovely coppery hue to the new growth. There are also some newer dwarf varieties, look for anything with 'Creek' in the name - Canyon Creek, Flat Creek, Rose Creek, etc. that have a compact 3' habit - some of the larger Abelias can get as tall as 6'! Probably the most fragrant is Abelia chinensis http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/77961/ - although its habit can be unsightly, long arching branches need regular pruning. None of them have what I could consider an overwhelming fragrance, but pleasant just the same. They're not really fussy plants and can be a huge asset in the landscape for attracting bees and butterflies. Hope this helps!

Debbie

I have Abelia x grandiflora 'Edward Goucher' which is compact and bushy, but unfortunately is not fragrant. It does flower for the better part of the summer and does quite well in a rather arid and sunny bed, though I believe that it would be even happier if I could get some water to that bed in the summer! I'm an Abelia fan, for sure.

Oh, thank you so much, Debbie and Wrightie!

I am sorry to hear that the fragrance is not so strong as I plan to plant it on the west side of my home under the living room window and thought that it would be nice to have the windows open and a honey scent wafting on the breeze. The window is about 12 ft above grade at that point, so the scent would have to be kind of strong. :-)

I am glad to hear that it attracts butterflies and bees and is easy to maintain. It seems like a winner and will definately be added to my yard this year! :-)

It had been planted at my old house by the builders and is a very tough shrub, very drought tolerant. Mine didn't have much scent either and it needed fairly hard pruning regularly. Other than that, no maintenance.

Since I didn't plant it I couldn't tell you the variety but it had very pale pink flowers and a reddish tint to the leaves. Not as pretty as some of the newer varieties.