(a-bee-lia) Caprifoliaceae.
Evergreen and deciduous flowering shrubs, 2-10 feet tall, from China, Japan, India, and Mexico. Tubular, funnel-shaped, white to rosy-purple flowers.
Greenhouse Culture - compost: equal parts loam, peat and sand. Well-drained pots, sunny, cold house. Water moderately during w1inter, increasing with growth. Prune lightly after flowering. Stand outside during summer months.
Propogation - By layers in March, or by cuttings in cold frame. July or August.
Species
| Rupestris |
white, fragrant |
| Floribunda |
purple |
| Grandiflora |
pink - this is the hardiest and may be grown in warm, sheltered borders ouytdoors. |
Outdoors - Plant in spring in open loamy soil, with peat or leaf-mould and sand added to start them off. Hardy in warm, sheltered gardens. Fine wall or trellis plants, and in pots in cold house. Cuttings of half-riped wood in July, planted in pots of sandy soil, placed in frame or hand-light root readily. Cut back old wood after flowering.
The genus Abelia is named after Dr. Clarke Abel, who visited China as a physician to Lord Amherst's Embassy, 1816-1817. The doctor first discovered Abelia chinensis. He wrote an account of his travels in 1818. The plant was not introduced to cultivation untils some years after his death in 1826.
