Abelia grandiflora Tricolor Charm

The Abelia x grandiflora 'Tricolor Charm' 'Mincautri', as its name suggests, is distinguished by its tricoloured foliage, variegated with green, cream, and pink, with young leaves tinged with yellow in spring. Decorative for much of the year, this bush forms a dense shrub, offering a long summer flowering of pink and white that gives way to pretty reddish bracts and generally retains its foliage in winter. It will appeal to enthusiasts of colourful and easy-to-grow plants in the ground or in pots.

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. 'Tricolor Charm' is a recent Italian creation. This bush has a dense, compact habit, slightly taller than wide. It averages about 1.50m (5ft) in height and 1.25m (4ft) in width, and its growth is rather slow. The branches of this Abelia bear small shiny foliage that persists more or less in winter. When they appear, the leaves are yellow to bronze in colour, then slowly turn green bordered with cream and pink. All these colours blend on the bush in summer. The ovate, toothed leaves take on a rusty to purplish hue with the first cool nights and persist for a long time on the branch. The long, fragrant, flowering period lasts all summer, from July to September-October, when few bushes are in bloom. Its countless small funnel-shaped white to pink corollas are gathered in terminal panicles. As they fade, they give way to pretty calyxes composed of reddish bracts, which are very decorative against the autumn foliage.

The 'Tricolor Charm' Abelia with its large flowers enriches the range of plants suitable for cultivation in large pots as well as small gardens. It can also serve as a ground cover at the front of beds or along pathways. It fits well in a group with other low-growing shrubs such as Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald Gaiety', Berberis thumbergii 'Atropurpurea Nana', Ceanothus repens, or even 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 cultivated in pots in cold regions and protected over winter.