Abelia Raspberry Profusion

Abelia 'Raspberry Profusion' is a remarkably bright and decorative new hybrid variety that flowers for over six months. Forming a wide and bushy dome, this shrub is covered in clusters of flowers, large for an abelia and fragrant, in two shades of pink. Its bell-shaped flowers of mauve pink are set on very decorative raspberry pink sepals that persist on the bush long after the flowers have fallen. The show starts in mid-May and will not end until autumn. A first-class variety, to be displayed at the forefront of large flowerbeds, in a low hedge, or in a large container on the terrace.

Abelia Raspberry Profusion is the result of cross-breeding between the Abelia Edward Goucher, which gave it its compact habit and well-coloured flowers, and the A. chinensis, from which it inherited its fragrance. It is a bush from the caprifoliaceae family. 'Raspberry Profusion' has a dense, compact habit, wider than it is tall. It will not exceed 80-90cm (31.5 - 35.4in) in height with an average spread of 1.20m (3.94 ft). Its growth is rather slow. The long, fragrant flowering begins in mid-May, depending on the region, lasts throughout the summer, and until October, when few shrubs are in bloom. Its countless small funnel-shaped mauve-pink corollas are gathered in panicles. As they fade, they give way to pretty calyxes composed of bracts that change from bright raspberry pink to old pink and are very decorative. The branches of this Abelia bear small, glossy, dark green leaves that persist longer, depending on the severity of the winter: evergreen in the South, deciduous in regions with more pronounced winters. The oval, toothed leaves take on a pinkish hue with the onset of the first cool nights.

The Raspberry Profusion Abelia, in full pink bloom for months, enriches the range of bushes suitable for growing in large pots as well as in small gardens. It can also serve as a ground cover, at the front of flowerbeds or along a path. It can also be grouped with other low-growing bushes such as ground cover roses, 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. It is best grown in pots in cold regions, and protected in winter.