Little Richard Glossy Abelia
Abelia x grandiflora 'Little Richard'
Height: 3 feet
Spread: 4 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 6a
Description:
This compact shrub has lovely variegated foliage in tones of green and copper; tidy, mounded habit and fragrant tubular white flowers until the first frost; requires some sheltering from cold winds
Ornamental Features
Little Richard Glossy Abelia features dainty clusters of lightly-scented white tubular flowers at the ends of the branches from early summer to mid fall. It has attractive green foliage edged in coppery-bronze. The glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental and turn an outstanding purple in the fall, which persists throughout the winter.
Landscape Attributes
Little Richard Glossy Abelia is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a mounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.
This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Little Richard Glossy Abelia is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use
- Container Planting
Planting & Growing
Little Richard Glossy Abelia will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.
This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.
Little Richard Glossy Abelia makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, this plant may be too tender to survive the winter if left outdoors in a container. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.
