Abelia × grandiflora 'Abelops'

'Sunshine Daydream' Abelia. Photo: SK Reid.

Summary

UC Davis is located in Davis, California, this site has a silty clay loam soil and plants are irrigated with potable water. More information about the field sites is located in the Nuts & Bolts section. 

This Abelia was virtually pest and disease free for its entire stay in our field which can be seen in the consistently high ratings in those categories. The foliage maintained an almost flawless appearance year round, and the plants on all irrigation levels grew vigorously throughout the year. The flowering was attractive and pleasantly, if mildly fragrant, though not the key feature in this plant’s overall good looks. Variegation was not as strongly pronounced the second year on older foliage though the new foliage displayed the expected color range of this cultivar. Some direct early morning light, or a lighter level of shade may produce a stronger contrast.

As the second growing season got going in spring, there was a tendency for this plant to send up from its center very long shoots with leaves spaced far apart. We were uncertain if this was a desirable trait for the long-term growth of this cultivar, or if these should be pruned down to promote a denser, bushier habit. Since we were measuring overall growth, we did not prune these out during the trial, leading to a gangly appearance on some individual plants.

Basic Info

Growth and Quality Data

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