Canyon Creek Abelia is one of the most charming shrubs in the market. They have excellent foliage colors that change with the season. The numerous foliage colors make these plants one of the best-looking shrubs to have in your garden.
These shrubs are very easy to care for, considering the number of benefits they provide after you add them to your plant collection.
We highly recommend you to own this plant if you are looking for a plant that provides a wide variety of uses. They can be used as accent, mass planting, border, cut flower, edging plant, container, or landscape.
Characteristics of Canyon Creek Abelia
These shrubs grow in a round shape without asking for too much space in your garden. They also attract birds and butterflies, which further beautifies the overall look of your garden.
Foliage
The evergreen foliage shows different colors with the changing seasons. The new growth is seen to have copper-colored leaves. These leaves show the young age of the plant as it further grows to change its color into lime green. The green color intensifies as the plant moves further into its mature age.
The green foliage turns into rosy-pink color in winters, which stays throughout the winter season.
Flower
The flowers appear in the summer and autumn seasons with yellow and pink. The flowers mix with the mesmerizing foliage to fill your garden with beautiful colors. They are trumpet-shaped with the size of approximately half of weigela bloom and stay there till mid-fall.
Hardiness zones
The hardiness zones of these plants are 6 to 9. These plants may lose their leaves in the hardiness zone 6, as creek abelias do not welcome the decreasing temperature.
Height and width
These plants can grow up to 2 to 3 feet high and 3 to 4 feet wide. They are compact shrubs that do not require a lot of space to grow naturally. Place them anywhere in your garden with minimal space, and they will adjust.
They can grow about 6 to 10 inches in a year, which is an average growth rate for a shrub.
Evergreen
The foliage of these plants is evergreen in nature. The colors will change but never fade away, so don’t worry about its beauty because it will remain there regardless of the condition and region you are living in.
Caring tips for Canyon Creek Abelia
The requirements of these shrubs are similar to any common shrub available in the market; however, they do require a little attention to make sure that it grows healthy without losing all the beautiful colors that it possesses.
We have got you five easy caring tips for your Canyon creek abelia to ensure its lovely flowers do not die before they even get the chance to show their true colors.
Sunlight requirements
These plants require bright direct light from the sun. We recommend you to place these shrubs outside your home in full sun for best results; however, they can also be placed in partial shade where indirect sunlight hits the foliage to feed it.
Albelias prefer full sun to grow at its maximum speed and produce beautiful flowers, but they do tolerate partial sunlight environments.
Soil requirements
A well-drained, slightly acidic soil is ideal for the plant. Please keep the soil moist in the growth period by mulching so that the plant’s root system establishes well and strong.
Water requirements
We recommend you to water the plant regularly until it reaches its mature age. Once they are well established, reduce the watering to once every couple of days, depending upon the soil condition.
Use your hand to check the soil, and water it only if the upper layer of the soil is dry. Please do not overwater the plant and try to keep the soil moist all the time.
Fertilization
Using granular fertilizer for these shrubs is highly recommended. Fertilizers with high organic material boost the growth of the plant. We advise you to use the Espona line, as it is one of the best organic fertilizers in the market.
They are gentle to use and have a really low chance of getting a fertilizer burn. Other granular fertilizers with ratios 6-12-12 are also a good choice, but make sure that you use half-strength to avoid any chemical burns.
Water-soluble fertilizers such as miracle gro are another great option but do not feed the plant with any standard fertilizer in the hot summer season. It can leave the plant susceptible to chemical burns.
Pruning
Pruning can help the plant retain its round shape. Cut off any excessive branches you may notice during the growth of the shrub to refrain the plant from getting extra space.
Pests and diseases
These plants are resistant to pests and other diseases, but make sure that you keep them in an environment where the temperature does not drop below zero degrees Celsius.
Propagating tips for Canyon Creek Abelia
Propagating the plant in the early summer with the softwood cutting method is an ideal choice for propagation. We have listed down a few steps that you can follow to propagate your canyon creek abelia.
- Choose softwood and make a clean cut.
- Make sure that at least one leaf remains intact.
- Treat the cut with a rooting hormone.
- Prepare a well-drained soil mixture and cover it with a plastic bag.
- Dig the soil to make a hole to fit the cutting inside it.
- Place the cutting inside the hole and fill the empty area with soil.
You can also use the semi-hardwood cutting method for propagation, but it should only be done in the late summer season, which we would not recommend.
Conclusion
Canyon creek abelia is an outstanding shrub with excellent foliage colors loaded with blooms throughout the year.
We have provided you with the best possible guiding tips to ensure that your beautiful shrub grows into its mature form with maximum health to show you why it is considered one of the plant lovers favorite.