Abelia grandiflora

Abelia is a popular evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub with a rounded, fountain-like growth habit. It is fast-growing, growing up to 4-8 feet tall and 4-6 feet wide. Its leaves are fine-textured, glossy, oval, and dark green, usually 2 inches long, and the new growth has a bronze color. Abelia produces small, white and pink tubular flowers in clusters at the end of its stems, from summer to fall. The flowers are barely one inch long, but they are slightly fragrant - which attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.

This shrub is a great choice for planting near a pool, as it loves both full sun and semi-shade exposure. When watering it, allow the soil to dry out between waterings. It is mostly pest- and disease-free. Mature Abelias can withstand temperatures as low as 30 degrees Fahrenheit for a limited time.

Hyperacanthus amoenus is another popular evergreen shrub. It has pinkish red flowers with off-white petals that are fragrant, followed by green fruits that turn brown when ripe. This shrub is easy to grow, needing only full sun and regular watering - though it should be in USDA Zones 9-11 for full protection from cold weather. For areas with colder climates, it is recommended to keep the plant in a pot and move it indoors in winter. In such a case, extra care should be taken to make sure it has enough water, light and fertilizer. Pruning may also be necessary to ensure the plant remains within the size desired.

Abelia sp.

The flowers appear in the upper leaf axils and stem ends, 1-8 together in a short cyme; they are pendulous, white to pink, bell-shaped with a five-lobed corolla.

The species from warm climates are evergreen, and colder climate species deciduous.

Species and varieties:

Abelia chinensis

Abelia longituba

Abelia grandiflora

Abelia mosanensis

Abelmoschus manihot

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

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Its palmate leaves are highly dissected with five to nine deep lobes. The largest, widest leaves form at the base of the plant, where there may be some small side branches. The blooms (4-5" in diameter) are pale yellow with a dark maroon to purple center eye, and emerge from the terminal end of a central flowering stalk.It is easily propagated from cuttings, easy to cultivate, relatively disease-resistant and even is considered to be of medicinal value. It is widely planted either along borders of gardens or as an intercrop throughout many traditional gardens in the tropics. A nice flowering addition to the vegetable garden.

Abelmoschus moschatus, Hibiscus abelmoschus

Valued as an ornamental plant, due to its colorful and attractive flowers. The leaves are alternate, rough, hairy, heart-shaped or 3-5 lobed with serrated margins. Flowers are Hibiscus-like.

Cultivated for aromatic oil from seeds. Young leaves, shoots, and unripe seedpods are cooked as a vegetable.

Abutilon megapotamicum, Abutilon vexillarium

Brazilian Bell-flower is a fun and easy-to-grow hummingbird magnet for the perennial border. In the garden or in a hanging container, it spreads to several feet wide in a single season. In the wild, Abutilon megapotamicum reaches 8' tall, but in cultivation arely exceeds 5' tall, and less when grown as a potted plant. During warm months, the plants are laden with cool 2" hanging lantern-like flowers composed of red calyces above the yellow petals, ending with its bright red privates dangling beneath... all carefully arranged between the thumb-sized green leaves.