Abelia grandiflora Happy Daydream

The Abelia x grandiflora 'Happy Daydream' will appeal to lovers of beautiful and easy-to-care-for plants. It is a new variety of dwarf Abelia in the same vein as the excellent 'Magic Daydream', but its variegated foliage is more brightly coloured and its growth is slightly more significant. Forming a very tight ball, this bush is adorned with yellow-splashed foliage on a bright green background which turns pink in cool weather. It also offers a gently fragrant summer flowering, in the form of white-pink bells that give way in autumn to a rich and long-lasting cloak of reddish bracts on the bush. A new variety from the Globeplanter ® collection full of charm, to be displayed at the forefront of large borders, in a low hedge, but also in a large container on the terrace.

The Abelia x grandiflora is a bush from the honeysuckle family. This hybrid is the result of cross-breeding between Abelia chinensis, native to temperate China, and Abelia uniflora, from eastern China. 'Happy Daydream' is a recent Dutch creation presented at the 2020 Plantarium in Boskoop. This bush has a dense, compact, slightly spreading habit. It will not exceed 1m (3.3ft) in all directions. Its growth is rather slow. The long, slightly fragrant flowering lasts throughout the summer, from July to September-October, when few shrubs are in bloom, defying the heat. Its countless small funnel-shaped corollas, white to pink in colour depending on the season, are gathered in terminal panicles. As they fade, they give way to beautiful calyxes composed of rusty bracts, which are very decorative on the autumn foliage. The branches of this Abelia bear small glossy foliage that can persist in winter, with the variegation also evolving throughout the seasons, changing from yellow to cream, white, and then pink on a green-grey background. The oval toothed leaves take on a pinkish hue with the first cool nights and persist for a long time on the branch.

The 'Happy Daydream' Abelia, with its compact habit in a large, pleasantly variegated cushion, enriches the range of plants suitable for growing in large pots as well as in small gardens. It can also be used as a ground cover at the front of flower beds or along a path. It can be grouped with other low shrubs such as Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald Gaiety', Berberis thumbergii 'Atropurpurea Nana', Ceanothus repens or even Genista lydia. This variety, once well established, is resistant to drought and is hardy to about -15°C (5 °F) in well-drained soil. It isbest grown in pots in the coldest regions and stored indoors during winter.