Abelia grandiflora Radiance

Abelia x grandiflora 'Radiance', commonly known as the large-flowered abelia, is a unique variety with its variegated green foliage, beautifully contrasting with its young red stems! It is an elegant bush that naturally forms a small, regular and dense cushion, and also has the advantage of abundant flowering with elongated white, fragrant, bell-shaped flowers from June to October. Its light colours and compact habit make it an ideal bush to bring light to the foreground of a bed or to create a lasting decoration on a terrace. Hardy and vigorous, it is a bush that is easy to grow in all light and well-drained soils, even dry, and exposed to the sun. As it is quite tender, it is best reserved for warm locations in regions with harsh winters, such as against a south-facing wall.

The Abelia x grandiflora is a bush from the caprifoliaceae family. This hybrid is the result of cross-breeding between the Abelia chinensis, native to temperate China, and the Abelia uniflora, which comes from eastern China. The species prefers bright and warm exposures and fertile but well-drained soils. 'Radiance' is a mutation of 'Kaleidoscope' with variegated white foliage. It has a medium growth rate, reaching only 70cm (27.6in) in height and 1.2m (4ft) in width. The scented flowering lasts all summer, from June to October, when few bushes are in bloom. Its countless small funnel-shaped, white corollas, are gathered in terminal panicles. The slender and arching branches of this Abelia bear glossy foliage, light green bordered with white, which turns purplish pink with the arrival of the first severe frosts in autumn. The small oval, dentate leaves, are semi-evergreen and persist for a long time on the branch.

The 'Radiance' large-flowered Abelia, with its perfectly dense ball-shaped habit and light colours, enriches the range of plants suitable for growing in large pots as well as in small gardens. Its compact size and dense vegetation make it perfect for planting in borders, as a standalone specimen, or in containers. It pairs well with other low-growing bushes such as Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald Gaiety', Berberis thunbergii 'Atropurpurea Nana', Ceanothus repens, or Genista lydia. This variety, once well-established, is resistant to drought and hardy to about -12°C (10.4°F) in well-drained soil. It is best grown in pots in cold regions and stored indoors during winter. Consider planting it in beds with coarser evergreen foliage such as Distyliums, laurels, and finer, glaucous foliage of spireas. Paired with the purple foliage of Cotinus and the pink-flowered gauras, they will bring a striking contrast to your beds.