Chinese Abelia. For us, this is THE butterfly attractor of all times in the garden, outdoing any Buddleia that I have observed. This large shrub of 6-10' produces huge panicles of white tubular flowers which are showy in themselves, but then they are followed by even more attractive heads of pink calyxes which persist into the fall on the end of its pendulous branches. This species is frequently used in breeding, and it is one of the parents of ubiquitous Abelia x grandiflora. For us here in zone 8, it is evergreen, but farther north it may be semi-evergreen to deciduous. I do believe that different clones of this species exhibit different degrees of "evergreenness". One will be rewarded with best flowering in full sun to part shade, but it is not particular as to soil as long as it is well drained. Native to China. Our next availability will be summer of 2026.
Zones 6-9.
