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Twist of Lemon™ Glossy Abelia foliage

Twist of Lemon™ Glossy Abelia foliage

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Brand:  Garden Debut

Description:

This attractive shrub has copper-tinged yellow emerging foliage that gradually turns soft yellow, then green; bronze fall color with rose highlights; tidy, mounded habit and pinkish-white flowers make this shrub a welcome addition to gardens and borders

Ornamental Features

Twist of Lemon™ Glossy Abelia features dainty clusters of fragrant white tubular flowers with shell pink overtones at the ends of the branches from early summer to early fall. It has attractive light green-variegated lemon yellow foliage which emerges coppery-bronze in spring. The glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental and turn outstanding shades of coppery-bronze and rose in the fall, which persists throughout the winter. The antique red branches add an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Twist of Lemon™ Glossy Abelia is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a mounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Twist of Lemon™ Glossy Abelia is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Twist of Lemon™ Glossy Abelia will grow to be about 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

Twist of Lemon™ Glossy Abelia makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.