Another old-timey shrub that’s a great addition to the garden is the abelia. Its glossy deep green leaves, arching branches, and hundreds of tiny trumpet shaped blossoms make it an attractive accent or even a nice hedge. And best of all? The abelia draws droves of bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to sip its sweet nectar. The larvae of some butterflies and moths feed on the leaves, too.
Abelia is a member of the honeysuckle family and hardy in zones 6-9. It’s a semi-evergreen, meaning in the South it behaves more like an evergreen, retaining leaves during the winter. Abelia grows 3-6 feet high but can get quite wide. There are several varieties that bloom pink or white. I have both colors and they’re beautiful. There are even ones with variegated leaves.
Abelia is easy to grow. Just plant it in sun or light shade in well drained soil. Add water and fertilize periodically and it grows well. Mine are still somewhat small because of several years’ drought. They survived, but didn’t take off until this year when we got plentiful rain. It blooms on new growth, so pruning can be done at any time of the year. My grandmother had a huge abelia next to her front porch. The steady drone of the bees was like a lullaby on hot summer afternoons. I always wondered about the name, thinking it was maybe named a-bee-lia because it attracts so many bees. But that's not even close. It was named after an English physician and naturalist, Dr. Clark Abel. He traveled extensively in the Far East and introduced the abelia to western gardeners in the 1800's.
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