Tickets are now on sale for Illumination! Buy early and save.
The Morton Arboretum Get tickets
Browse Trees and Plants

Glossy abelia

Abelia x grandiflora

Common names:
glossy abelia

Content Detail

Glossy abelia is a small to medium, rounded shrub with arching stems. The late spring-blooming, highly fragrant, bell-shaped white flowers have a pink blush. The dark green, glossy leaves turn a bronze-purple in autumn. It is effective as a low hedge, specimen plant, en masse, and on slopes for erosion control.

  • Family (English) Honeysuckle
  • Family (botanic) Caprifoliaceae
  • Tree or plant type Shrub
  • Foliage Deciduous (seasonally loses leaves)
  • Native locale Non-native
  • Size range Low-growing shrub (under 3 feet), Small shrub (3-5 feet)
  • Light exposure Full sun (6 hrs direct light daily), Partial sun / shade (4-6 hrs light daily)
  • Hardiness zones Zone 6 (City of Chicago), Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9
  • Soil preference Moist, well-drained soil
  • Other tolerances Dry sites
  • Season of interest late spring, early summer, midsummer, late summer, mid fall
  • Flower color and fragrance Fragrant, Pink, Yellow
  • Shape or form Arching, Round
  • Growth rate Fast

Size and Form

Glossy abelia is a multi-stemmed, rounded shrub with arching branches reaching 3 to 6 feet high and wide.

Native Geographic Location and Habitat

Hybrid. Cross between Abelia chinensis x Abelia uniflora.

Pollinators  and wildlife

Birds and butterflies are attracted to glossy abelia.

Bark Color and Texture

The bark is fine-textured on thin, reddish-purple stems. Older stems have bark that peels in strips.

Leaf Arrangement, Size, Shape, and Texture

Glossy abelia has opposite, simple, ovate, glossy, dark green leaves that turn to bronzy-purple in the fall.

Flower Arrangement Size and Shape

Flowers bloom on new wood.  White, highly fragrant flowers with a pink flush that are bell-shaped and 1 to 1 1/2 inches long, carried in loose panicles.

Fruit and Seed Descriptions

Non-sterile, leathery, one-seeded, dry, dehiscent fruit.

Plant Care

It grows best in full sun to part shade in moist, organic, rich, well-drained soil. Site in a protected area since it can be prone to winter dieback. Prune away any dieback in spring.

List of pests, diseases and tolerances

No serious pest problems.

Pinky Bells® (Abelia x grandiflora ‘Lynn’):

This cultivar gets lavender-pink pendulous flowers. It grows 2 to 3 feet high and 3 to 4 feet wide.

Photo Gallery (1)

Slider

Slider

1

Donate

Your support is vital to the Arboretum, where the power of trees makes a positive impact on people’s lives.

Make a gift