Abelia x grandiflora Sunshine Daydream 'Abelops'

Abelia x grandiflora Sunshine Daydream stands out for the aesthetic appeal of its changing and colourful foliage throughout the seasons and the delicacy of its long-lasting pink flowering. It forms a vigorous, hardy, and sturdy bush, which is undemanding and easy to grow. For beautiful landscape compositions, it integrates well as a hedge or in a border with other medium-sized flowering bushes, with grasses, roses and perennials in flower beds, or even in a large container on the terrace. Light pruning in March, allows this variety to maintain a beautiful shape.

Abelia x grandiflora is a bush from the caprifoliaceae family. This hybrid is the result of cross-breeding between Abelia chinensis, which originates from temperate China, and Abelia uniflora, which comes from eastern China. The Sunshine Daydream variety 'Abelops' is a fairly recent Dutch creation, awarded a silver medal at the Plantarium in Boskoop in 2009. It forms a bush with a balanced habit, a rounded shape and dense and branching growth, reaching a height of 1.50m (4 in 11 ft) and a width of 1.20m (3 in 11 ft). The evergreen foliage consists of opposite, ovate, dentate leaves, measuring approximately 1.5 to 3cm (0.6 - 1.2in) in length and 1 to 1.5cm (0.4 - 0.6 in) in width, with a glossy appearance. Its colouration evolves throughout the seasons, starting with yellow with red-orange reflections, then yellow with more or less dark green and light green markings, and finally taking on reddish tones in autumn. The flowering lasts for 3 to 4 months, from July to October, and it withstands summer heat well. It appears as pink buds that open into countless flowers with funnel-shaped white-pink corollas gathered in terminal panicles. This vigorous, hardy (down to -18°C), and undemanding bush easily adapts to all types of soil and does not suffer from occasional drought. When grown in pots, it requires regular watering and some fertilizer to support its growth and flowering.

Abelia grandiflora Sunshine Daydream with its highly decorative foliage and summer flowering offers many uses in the garden. It stands out, in association with colourful perennials (Asters, Delphiniums, Echinaceas, Hemerocallis, Kniphofias, etc.), rose bushes, medium-sized grasses, or flowering bushes (Ceanothus, Choisya, Escallonias, Paniculata Hydrangea, Spireas, etc.). Thanks to its compact habit, this abelia can also be placed in pots to enhance terraces and balconies. Near a terrace, along a path, on top of a wall, as a separating hedge, it will bring life to a flowering hedge, a flower bed, or a border from summer to autumn, delighting the eyes.