Kaleidoscope Dwarf Abelia
Abelia grandiflora ‘Kaleidoscope’
Plant Details
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 6a-9b  Find Your Zone
Plant Type:Â Flowering Evergreen Shrub (May be semi-deciduous in northern zones)
Height at Maturity:Â 2-3′
Width at Maturity:Â 3-4′
Suggested Spacing:Â Â 3′ for solid hedges, 6’+ for space between plants
Growth Habit / Form:Â Dense, Mounding
Growth Rate:Â Moderate
Flower Color: Â White
Flower Size:Â Â Small, 0.5″
Flowering Period:Â Early Summer through Mid-Fall
Flower Type:Â Single, bell-shape
Fragrant Flowers:Â Â Yes
Foliage Color:Â Yellow and Green, Orange and Red in winter
Fragrant Foliage:Â No
Berries:Â Â No
Berry Color:Â NA
Sun Needs:Â Full Sun or Mostly Sun, Morning Sun with Dappled or Afternoon Shade, Morning Shade with Evening Sun
Water Needs:Â Â Average, low when established
Soil Type:Â Â Clay, Loam, Sand, SiltÂ
Soil Drainage:Â Well Drained
Soil pH:Â 5.0 – 8.0
Attracts:Â Butterflies, Visual Attention
Resistances:Â Deer, Disease, Drought, Dry Soil, Heat, Humidity, Insect
Description
If we could only plant one shrub in our gardens, it might just be the Kaleidoscope Abelia. Why? It is a superstar of a shrub and color factory! Not only does this Abelia provide a “kaleidoscope” of bright color year round in the landscape it is also exceptionally tough, durable, low maintenance, and drought, heat and humidity tolerant. You’ll also be happy to know that insects, diseases, deer and rabbits won’t touch it!
Kaleidoscope Abelia provides constantly swirling color throughout all the seasons on evergreen foliage. It displays variegated bright yellow and green foliage during the warm season that changes to brilliant shades of red and deep orange during the winter months. Then, when soil starts to warm up in spring light orange new growth emerges that turns to yellow. The foliage does not bleach in the sun.Â
But that’s not all. Kaleidoscope is in the Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle) plant family, which explains why it produces fragrant tubular flowers. The small white flowers are someone lost against the bright foliage, however are produced throughout summer and into fall and are attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds.Â
Kaleidoscope Abelia is a dwarf that naturally grows in a dense mound to 2.5 feet tall or so and 3 to 4 feet wide at maturity. That said, it responds very well to shearing so can be kept smaller with minimal pruning. We’re not that into the formal look so give ours a trim only one time a year in late winter, before new leaves begin to emerge.
Landscape & Garden Uses
Growing in a dense mound 2 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide, Kaleidoscope Abelia has many, many uses in landscape design. It is ideal for use as a colorful accent or specimen in smaller landscape spaces and provides a stunning display of color when planted in groupings or mass plantings in larger landscape borders. Excellent for us in straight or staggered rows in home foundation plantings or in mass on sunny slopes, embankments and hillsides for erosion control. It shears well so is perfect for use as a low, formal hedge. Because it will tolerate part shade we often use it as an underplanting for small trees such as crape myrtle, Vitex (Chaste Tree) and taller growing Japanese maples. Stunning when planted near other plants and trees that have purple, red or dark green foliage, such as Loropetalums, purple leaved Crape myrtles, and red-leaved Japanese maples.
Kaleidoscope Abelia fine addition to butterfly and hummingbird gardens, yellow theme gardens, Asian-themed gardens and Xeriscape gardens (low water needs)
Suggested Spacing:Â Â 3 feet apart for solid hedges, 6 feet or more apart for space between plants
How To Measure Total Square Feet Of A Planting Area
How Many Plants Needed To Cover A Planting Area?
Note:Â Â For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6a, where this Abelia variety is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.
Growing Preferences
Kaleidoscope Abelia is very easy to grow in most any average soil in full sun to part shade. It prefers a moist but well-drained soil however is exceptionally tolerant of dry soil conditions when established. The best flowering and foliage color occur in full to mostly sun. Maintenance is minimal. We prune our Abelia for shaping purposes one time a year in late winter or early spring. That said, plants respond very well to shearing for hedges or formal shapes. It is evergreen in the southern zones where it grows and might be semi-deciduous some winters in zones north of 7a-7b.
Helpful Articles
Click on the link below to find helpful advice from our experts that’ll have you planting and growing Abelia like the pros.
How To Plant & Care For Abelia Shrubs
Plant Long & Prosper!
Meet The Wilson Brothers & Staff
Questions? Contact Us!
Wilson Brothers plants always arrive healthy and super well packaged.
Happy customer———————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Happy customer———————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Once again I have received 3 healthy, perfectly packaged plants from Wilson Bros.
Thank you!————————————–You’re welcome! Thanks for the kind words and awesome review! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Thank you!————————————–You’re welcome! Thanks for the kind words and awesome review! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
I ordered two of these. They are quite lovely and a good starting size. Packing was great as usual.. Plants arrived in excellent condition.————————————————–Thanks for the kind words and awesome review! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Thank you! Am very happy with my previous order and the service provided, and so, I’m back for more! Will continue to recommend you!———————————————————We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the kind words and great review! Beth | WBG 🙂
Hello Wilson Bros,
The plants arrived in great shape. The paper packing in the plants was still moist and I hit them with a dose of water upon opening. It was extremely hot that week they were shipped,90’s+. I did not plant them for about a week but kept them watered as directed. I got the topsoil and peat moss and planted them last weekend in accordance with the planting instructions, including the root enhancing fertilizer. I really hope the gardenia survives the northern temps. The others plants are favorites for the Cape so I am not too worried about them. All the plants have taken and are showing new growth or no signs of stress from the transplanting.
I did refer to the planting instructions and I thought they were great and comprehensive.
Thanks for a great product.———————————————We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂
The plants arrived in great shape. The paper packing in the plants was still moist and I hit them with a dose of water upon opening. It was extremely hot that week they were shipped,90’s+. I did not plant them for about a week but kept them watered as directed. I got the topsoil and peat moss and planted them last weekend in accordance with the planting instructions, including the root enhancing fertilizer. I really hope the gardenia survives the northern temps. The others plants are favorites for the Cape so I am not too worried about them. All the plants have taken and are showing new growth or no signs of stress from the transplanting.
I did refer to the planting instructions and I thought they were great and comprehensive.
Thanks for a great product.———————————————We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂
This company is truly amazing and definitely legit. Their products are excellent quality. Their packaging is extraordinarly well designed to protect the plants during shipment. Customer service is the best. We would not order from anyone else.————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy your purchase for years to come! Thanks so much for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG























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