Abelia ×grandiflora (glossy abelia)

Japanese name: アベリア
Scientific name: Abelia ×grandiflora

[Overview]
A semi-evergreen shrub about 2 m tall.
The branches rise straight up from ground level and grow long, with the tips spreading sideways or drooping.
The leaves are opposite, ovate, about 4 cm long, entire, somewhat thick, and glossy on the upper surface.
The flowers are borne in panicles formed at the tips of the current year's shoots.
The flowers are bell-shaped, about 2 cm long, shallowly 5-lobed at the tip, and pinkish white.
The sepals are large and tinged with purple.
Because the calyx is shaped like a tsukubane (a shuttlecock-like battledore), the standard Japanese name is Hanazono-tsukubane-utsugi.
It is a hybrid between Taiwan-tsukubane-utsugi (Abelia chinensis), which has 5 sepals, and Abelia uniflora (A. uniflora), which has 2 sepals, so the number of sepals is not fixed and varies from 2 to 5.

[Uses]
It is very hardy, tolerates pruning well, withstands heat and cold, and resists exhaust fumes.
It grows well even in poor conditions in cities and along roads.
It also has a long flowering season, so it is widely planted as a garden tree, hedge or greening tree.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings or division.
It is almost free of diseases and pests.
It grows vigorously and produces many long, vigorous shoots, so pruning is essential to maintain its shape.
With plenty of sun the foliage becomes denser.
In cold regions it loses its leaves or the branch tips die back, and it is also weak against snow, so it is not suited to areas with heavy snowfall.

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