Abelia grandiflora Petite Garden

Abelia Petite Garden ('Minedward') is a compact and bushy variety of abelia that blooms abundantly and over a long summer period. Its small light lavender-pink flowers, slightly fragrant, animate its dark green foliage which turns bronze in autumn and persists in winter. Rather hardy for an abelia, compact and tolerant, this bush is perfect for decorating small gardens, but also for container cultivation.

The Abelia Petite Garden is a creation of the Minier nurseries dating back to 2009. It is a selection derived from the Abelia x grandiflora, a bush from the caprifoliaceae family. This hybrid is the result of cross-breeding between the 'Abelia chinensis', native to temperate China, and the 'Abelia uniflora', originating from eastern China. 'Petite Garden' has a dense, compact, slightly spreading habit. It will not exceed 1m (3.28 ft) in all directions and its growth is rather slow. The long, slightly fragrant flowering lasts throughout summer, from July to September-October. Its countless small, pastel funnelform corollas, are gathered in terminal panicles. When fading, they give way to pretty calyces composed of decorative rust-coloured bracts with the autumn foliage. The branches of this Abelia bear small glossy leaves that persist in winter, changing from dark green to bronze. The oval, dentate leaves take on a more pinkish hue due to the effect of the first cool nights and persist for a long time on the branch.

Abelia Petite Garden, with its appearance of a large flowering cushion, enriches the range of plants suitable for cultivation in large pots as well as small gardens. It can also serve as ground cover, at the front of borders or along pathways. It can be grouped with other low-growing shrubs such as the Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald Gaiety', the Berberis thumbergii 'Atropurpurea Nana', the Ceanothus repens, or the Genista lydia. This variety, once well established, is resistant to drought and is hardy to about -14°C (6.8°F) in well-drained soil. It is best grown in pots in our coldest regions, to be protected in winter.