Trees, Shrubs and Conifers: Two all summer unsung stalwarts, 1 by Decumbent

Decumbent wrote:
Abelia x grandiflora and Leptodermis oblonga. Mine have been chugging right along all summer without an ounce of irrigation. Started blooming in mid-June and still going. Leptodermis will bloom until a hard frost. Abelia will probably peter out in September. Both are always covered in beneficials, butterflies, moths, and occasionally a hummingbird takes a sip. I enjoyed wathcing a pair of hummingbird moths on my Leptodermis today. I hadn't seen any of those in two or three years.

Leptodermis seems to really prefer full sun, stays beneath five feet, and eventually suckers outward into a broad, full thicket. I have Abelia in full sun and full shade, and although it gets bigger in full sun, it blooms equally well in either exposure. I have both what is sold simply as Abelia x grandiflora and the cultivar "Canyon Creek." The latter is a superior selection, being more compact, and finer in texture, althought he blooms seem a bit smaller.

This is "Canyon Creek" flowers and the equally nice calyxes.

Scott

This message was edited Aug 13, 2006 8:31 PM