Abelia grandiflora Caramel Charm

The Abelia x grandiflora 'Caramel Charm' will appeal to enthusiasts of original and easy-to-grow plants. It is a new variety of Abelia that is particularly decorative due to the caramel copper colour of its young leaves. Decorative for a good part of the year, this bush forms a dense and rather wide habit, offering long summer flowering in pink and white, which gives way to a rich cloak of reddish bracts in autumn and generally retains its foliage in winter. A truly extraordinary new variety, to be grown in the sun, in a large mass planting, a low hedge, or a large container on the terrace.

The Abelia x grandiflora is a bush of the caprifoliaceae family. This hybrid is the result of cross-breeding between Abelia chinensis, native to temperate China, and Abelia uniflora, which comes from eastern China. 'Caramel Charm' is a recent French creation. This bush has a dense, compact habit, slightly wider than tall. It averages about 1.20m (3.94 ft) in height and 1.50m (4.92 ft) in width and its growth is rather slow. The branches of this Abelia bear small glossy leaves that can persist in winter. When they appear, the leaves are bronze to shiny rust in colour, then slowly turn golden before greening. All these colours blend on the bush in summer. The oval, dentate leaves, take on a more rust to violet hue due to the first cool nights and persist for a long time on the branch. The long and fragrant flowering lasts all summer, from July to September-October, when few bushes are in bloom. Its countless small corollas are funnel-shaped and white to pink depending on the season, and are gathered in terminal panicles. As they fade, they give way to pretty calyces composed of reddish bracts, which are very decorative against the autumn foliage.

'Caramel Charm' Abelia with large flowers adds to the range of plants suitable for growing in large pots as well as in small gardens. It can also be used as a ground cover, at the front of borders or along pathways. It can be grouped with other low-growing shrubs such as Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald Gaiety', Berberis thumbergii 'Atropurpurea Nana', Ceanothus repens, or Genista lydia. This variety, once well established, is resistant to drought and is hardy to about -15°C (5°F) in well-drained soil and sheltered from the wind. It is best grown in pots in colder regions and stored away for winter.