Abelia x grandifolia, Glossy Abelia

By Cody King (2020)

Common name: Glossy abelia

Common cultivars: ‘Rose Creek’,’Canyon Creek’, ‘Little Richard’

Abelia x grandiflora is a beautiful, fine-textured shrub that will keep its leaves during the winter months to provide good life to the landscape. It is in the Caprifoliaceae family, which is known as the honeysuckle family giving thought that pollinators indeed love the flowers on this plant. As said it is considered an evergreen but in the northern states it will still lose foliage during the cooler months. For those in the South this character is great for landscapers as the new growth looks red! The simple, ovate leaf arrangement is opposite. They also have this glossy or waxy appearance which can also grab attention from those passing by to touch it. The leaves have a slightly serrated margin and a pinnate venation (Missouri Botanical Gardens, 2020). The shrub grows between six to eight feet tall with the stems growing up from the ground in a vase-like appearance and six to eight feet wide when mature and established. 

The hybrid Abelia x grandiflora is a cross between A. chinensis and A. uniflora, which is native to Asia and more specifically Japan and areas west of the Himalayas. The cross happened sometime after it was introduced to England. The shrub is used often in the south as the temperature does not get cold enough to make it lose all the foliage, and it also tolerates the heat and occasional drought. This shrub loves full sun but can tolerate shade. In a landscape the shrub can be planted at borders as it can be trimmed to a hedge structure. When clipping the shrub, take into consideration that the top may need to be trimmed to be narrower so that sunlight can reach all the branches on the bottom (University of Florida, 1999). This practice will help the plants growth patterns stay regular and maintain the foliage with a healthy color. 

The flowers which can come in pink, white, lavender and more are known to horticulturists as cymes. The small flowers will look like small funnelform bells, and will bloom in the summer and fall months. They are beautiful and showy, while also being fragrant and attractive to pollinators and people. After the great flower show that the shrub puts on is over, the sepals are left behind giving an even longer appeal. This shrub can tolerate planting in zones 5 through 9, that makes it a good candidate for Texas landscapes. Glossy abelia likes to get planted in rich, loamy soil with good drainage but can tolerate clay and sand for good growth (North Carolina Extension, 2020). The shrub does not have any large pests or pathogens that attack it so planting it in the landscape would not be risky and can bring high rewards of pollinators and curb appeal. Using this in the south would bring benefits to the landscape for pollinators and aesthetics, pruning only in early spring will help keep the plant healthy with plenty of blooms. 

Missouri Botanical Gardens (2020). Abelia x grandiflora. Retrieved September 13, 2020, from https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=j150

North Carolina State Extension. (2020). Linnaea x grandiflora. Retrieved September 13, 2020, from https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/linnaea-x-grandiflora/

University of Florida Extension Service (1999, October). Abelia x grandiflora. Retrieved September 14, 2020, from http://hort.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/shrub_fact_sheets/abegraa.pdf