Plant library · Shrubs
Abelia x grandiflora
Abelia is a semi-evergreen, rounded shrub that brings fragrant white-and-pink tubular flowers from late spring into fall. Reaching about 6 feet tall and wide, it has enough presence for the middle or back of a mixed border while remaining useful as a low, informal screen. Its long flowering season makes it a steady structural plant rather than a brief seasonal accent.
Use Abelia along a sunny property edge, at the back of a broad foundation bed, or repeated through a large border where its arching, multi-stemmed form has room to soften straight lines. It also suits informal hedges and mass plantings. Keep it set back from narrow walks and entries so mature branches do not narrow circulation or obscure lower plantings beside the path.[1]
Set plants 5 feet apart, center to center, for a connected planting that can gradually read as a loose hedge or mass. Each shrub can ultimately occupy a footprint about 6 feet across, so allow its outer branches to meet open lawn, a wider bed, or a generous mulch strip rather than a tight hard edge. For a single specimen, reserve roughly a 6-foot-wide clear area.
Place Abelia in full sun for the strongest flowering display. It grows in moist, well-drained soil and accepts loam, clay, or sand when drainage is good. Give newly planted shrubs dependable moisture while they establish, then keep irrigation moderate rather than treating the bed as constantly wet.[1][2]
Flowers are produced on new growth from late spring through fall, keeping the shrub visually active for much of the growing season. If shaping is needed, prune in late winter or early spring before the new season advances. In warm settings, foliage can remain through winter; colder winters may leave the shrub more open or cause stems to die back.[1][2]
At the colder end of its zone range, choose a protected position away from exposed winter winds and avoid relying on it as an opaque year-round screen. Winter dieback can reduce its height and density temporarily, even though flowering can resume on new growth. Leave surrounding plants enough room to accommodate seasonal recovery rather than crowding the base.[1][2]
Editorial content updated 2026-07-20.