Abelia × grandiflora (Glossy Abelia)
Developed in Italy by crossing two Chinese species, this hybrid shrub usually grows 3 to 8 feet tall. It is semi-evergreen in mild climates and loses more of its leaves in colder conditions. Fragrant white or pale pink flowers have a funnel-shaped tube opening into five lobes. Pink to reddish sepals remain after the petals fall, extending the floral display. In the southern United States, flowering can continue from late spring into fall. It has naturalized in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. The variegated cultivar ‘Hopleys’ has received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. Photographed in Bogotá, Colombia and Virginia.










