How to Plant, Grow, and Care For ‘Ruby Anniversary’ Abelia

For a shrub with attractive foliage and lovely flowers, abelia is surprisingly low-maintenance. Its easygoing nature makes this shrub a great addition to any garden landscape. It makes a wonderful shaped hedge and flowers reliably for a long period in late summer and fall. 

In the South, this is a garden staple. If you want to plant it and forget it, this shrub is a great selection. Read on to learn about a delightful variety with all the best qualities of the genus. 

What Is It?

Abelia is a small to medium-sized shrub that decorates the fall garden with beautiful, fragrant flowers. Pollinators will flock to it for its copious nectar and irresistible perfume. 

‘Ruby Anniversary^®‘ is a special variety of abelia with better-than-average cold tolerance. While most varieties are only hardy in Zones 7-9, this one will get through the winter as far as Zone 5 with some added protection. 

Gardeners are attracted to the plant for its ease of care, as well as excellent pest and disease resistance. Let’s talk about this attractive shrub that will leave you with plenty of time to tend to other parts of the landscape.

Characteristics

Abelia shrubs are graceful and dainty, with arching branches and fine, medium-green foliage. This member of the honeysuckle family is most beloved for its jasmine-scented flowers, which bloom from late summer into the fall months. This makes it a valuable food source for pollinators as they prepare for winter. 

‘Ruby Anniversary^®‘ is a cold-tolerant variety that outperforms most abelia types in Zones 5-6. Others are only hardy in Zones 7-9 and will die back to their roots in winter. Aside from its added cold tolerance, ‘Ruby Anniversary^®’ is fairly typical in characteristics to others. 

In the spring, small, fine foliage appears in shades of ruby and rose before deepening to a medium green. In late summer, the ends of branches send forth tons of small white blossoms that smell wonderful, similar to jasmine of honeysuckle. 

In the fall, the flowers drop, but pretty pink bracts remain on the shrub until dormancy. This gives the appearance of staying in bloom for many months. 

Its tolerance for average soil and considerable shade, paired with pest and disease resistance, make this a desirable landscape element. In spite of its obvious attributes it remains rather underutilized in gardens. 

Native Area

The ‘Ruby Anniversary^®’ variety is of cultivated origin, but the species Abelia chinensis is native to Southeastern China. It grows in lower alpine areas at elevations of about 6,000 ft. 

This species came into cultivation in Europe in the mid-1800s. It is still popular in China, and its distribution is widespread. It has a wide range of natural climates, from subtropical to high elevations.

Planting

Because of its flexible nature, you can plant ‘Ruby Anniversary^®’ abelia any time between spring and fall. Early fall is a good time because the soil is warm and the air is cool. This gives the roots some time to establish while limiting the stress of heat on the shrub.

Ahead of planting, water your plant well and allow it time to absorb the water. This will help reduce the shock of transplant. Prepare a hole that is slightly deeper and twice as wide as the root ball.

Loosen the soil in the bottom of the hole and add some manure or compost for best results. Place the root ball in the hole slightly above the soil level. Fill in the hole and water thoroughly. 

For the first week, water your plant daily. Then, decrease this to three times per week for two weeks and then one to two times per week for three months. Applying mulch will help conserve and retain moisture in the soil.

Growing from Seed

Because ‘Ruby Anniversary^®’ abelia is a hybrid, there is no guarantee and a very small chance that the seeds will breed true. You can grow these shrubs from seeds, but cuttings are the common way to propagate hybrids. 

How To Grow

Abelia is an agreeable plant with few issues. It’s tough and tolerant, growing fine in average soil with moderate sun, and it’s drought tolerant once mature. There is very little maintenance, so it’s a great plant if you need to fill a space that will be tough to access or out of the way. 

Light

Full sun will bring out the best in your abelia. It will flower better and perform better in general with six hours of sun daily. It can, however, tolerate moderate shade as long as it gets at least four hours of exposure. 

In warmer climates, it’s a good idea to protect this shrub from the afternoon sun. Afternoon sunlight is hotter and more intense than in the morning. To avoid leaf scorch in Zone 9 and some parts of Zone 8, partial shade with sun in the morning is ideal.

Water

Soil

Abelia is generally tolerant of most soil conditions. Ideally, it will perform best in organically rich and slightly acidic soil. However, it does need to hold moisture and be well-draining to meet the shrub’s needs without causing root rot.  

A soil test is a great tool if you’re unsure whether your soil is acidic, alkaline, or neutral. If your soil’s pH is too high, you can amend it with organic materials like manure, compost, and mulch to lower it. Make sure to top dress on a yearly basis to maintain the acidity, as it is important for breaking down certain nutrients that this shrub needs. 

Temperature and Humidity

Abelia thrives in moderate climates. This variety is also cold-tolerant and, with some afternoon shade, will tolerate a fair amount of heat. It does best growing between 65-75°F (18-24°C), where you will see the most rapid growth. 

Moderate all around, your abelia likes some humidity but doesn’t need an excessive amount. The ideal humidity level is around 40%. In arid climates, you may experience leaf drop from a lack of moisture in the air. 

Fertilizing

Maintenance

This plant does not require pruning to bloom or stay healthy, but it takes well to all forms of pruning. A tidy hedge of abelia plants is easy to maintain, as the small foliage means that it looks good even when freshly trimmed. 

You can also rejuvenate an overgrown shrub by hard pruning. They tolerate that as well. The ideal time to prune is in late winter or early spring before it leafs out. It’s easiest to see the plant’s form this way and thin the interior if it needs it. 

If you’re pruning it to be a formal hedge, you can do so until the end of summer. Just know that you’re likely to remove flower buds if you prune through the summer months. Make sure to stop pruning two months before your first anticipated frost date. You can resume again after the plant is dormant. 

To prepare it for winter, top-dress the soil with compost and then cover it with a layer of mulch. Both the compost and the mulch will break down over time, enriching the soil. The mulch also insulates the roots over the winter. 

Propagation

While propagating other abelia varieties is just fine, propagating ‘Ruby Anniversary®’ abelia is illegal. Do not use any of these methods if you are working with a trademarked cultivar, as it is illegal.

The most common and successful way to propagate abelia is with softwood cuttings in late spring. You can also use semi-hardwood cuttings in the summer, but getting them to root may not be as easy.

Take six-inch cuttings from new growth, making sure there are no flower buds on the branch competing for nutrients. Take your cuttings in the morning when the tree is less stressed from the heat of the day. Cut just below a node and remove the lower leaves from the cutting.

Prepare pots with moist potting mix. Mix in some coarse sand or perlite to loosen the soil and improve drainage. Dip the cut end of your cutting into rooting hormone, and plant it in your potting medium. About 1/3 of the cutting should be beneath the soil. 

Cover the pot with plastic to create a greenhouse effect, maintaining moisture in the soil and humidity around the cutting. Set your container in a warm, bright location, and check to make sure the soil stays moist but not soggy.

Once your cuttings have rooted, transfer them to a larger container and allow them to put on growth. You can plant them in the fall or wait until next spring to put them in the ground. 

Common Problems

hile propagating other abelia varieties is just fine, propagating ‘Ruby Anniversary®’ abelia is surprisingly resistant to pests and diseases. It truly is an easy shrub to maintain and care for. 

Pests

Aphids and scale insects may find their way to your abelia, but typically not in any great numbers. If you see these insects on your plant, spray your plant with a strong stream of water.

Scale is another common issue with abelia. You can pop smaller infestations off the plant with a cotton swab soaked in 70% or less alcohol. Prune away larger infestations.  

It’s better to work on attracting beneficial insects to the garden. Insects like ladybugs, lacewings, and some wasps are great at keeping down nuisance pest populations. Adding plenty of nectar plants to your garden will help attract these insects.

Diseases

The most common diseases that affect abelia are fungal. Powdery mildew can grow where there is low air circulation and high humidity. Look for this white powdery fungus on the leaves. It can interfere with photosynthesis. Keeping your plant in the sun and thinning out the interior will help solve this issue. 

Anthracnose is the other disease that can affect overwatered plants. It can manifest as irregular lesions on leaves, blighting of stems, and dieback. Again, this is preventable with proper air circulation, sufficient sunlight, and careful watering practices. 

Frequently Asked Questions