Abelia 'Edward Goucher'
Back to Previous Page
     
Tried and True Recommended by 2 Professionals
Common Name: abelia
Type: Deciduous shrub
Family: Caprifoliaceae
Zone: 6 to 9
Height: 3 to 5 feet
Spread: 3 to 5 feet
Bloom Time: May to September
Bloom Color: Pink, Lavender
Bloom Description: Lavender - pink
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flowers: Showy Flowers
Leaves: Good Fall Color
Uses: Erosion Control, Hedge

Culture

Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Best flowering in full sun. Prefers moist, organically rich soils which drain well. Evergreen in the South, but generally deciduous in the St. Louis area where stems may suffer substantial damage (including dying to the ground) in cold winters. Significant stem damage can be expected when winter temperatures approach zero degrees F. Best sited in a protected location in the St. Louis area. Blooms on new wood, so prune as needed (e.g., thin to the ground up to 1/3 of old stems and any stems lost to winter) in late winter to early spring.

Noteworthy Characteristics

This glossy abelia hybrid is a compact, bushy, somewhat spreading, multi-stemmed shrub in the honeysuckle family. Typically grows on gracefully arching branches to 2-3' tall in the St. Louis area, but usually somewhat taller (to 5' tall ) in the warm winter climates of the South (USDA Zones 8-9). Features clusters of lavender-pink, funnel-shaped flowers (to 3/4" long) with orangish yellow throats. Flowers bloom from mid-summer into fall. Ovate, glossy, dark green leaves (to 1.25" long) turn purplish-bronze in autumn. A hybrid between A. x grandiflora and A. shumannii introduced in 1911 by Edward Goucher of the United States Department of Agriculture.

Problems

No serious insect or disease problems. Winter die-back may occur in the St. Louis area.

Garden Uses

Specimen or grouping for shrub borders or foundations. Also effective as an informal hedge (plants tend to lose attractive graceful shape if pruned or sheared to a more formal hedge look).

Back to Previous Page