Abelia Suntastic Peach

Abelia Suntastic Peach (Abelia x grandiflora 'Suntastic Peach') carries peach and gold foliage all year, then small fragrant white and pink flowers from late spring through summer. It settles at about 1m tall and 1m wide, so it edges a path or forms a low hedge without ever being fought back.

Why you'll love it

• Foliage colour without flowers. New growth comes through warm peach and gold, so the shrub holds colour every season, not for six weeks.
• It stays where you put it. No suckering and no sudden 3m surprise against the fence.
• Fragrant and busy with insects. The small tubular flowers are lightly scented and well worked by bees and butterflies.
• Tough across the country. Frost hardy, drought tolerant once established, heat tolerant and salt tolerant enough for a coastal front garden.

Where it works best

Low hedging and edging. Plant 60cm apart. The plants close into a band within two seasons and hold at knee to hip height on one trim a year.

Mass planting and small gardens. Repeat it through a bed to carry warm colour between seasonal plantings. Its size suits a courtyard or a narrow driveway strip.

Pots and containers. A 400mm pot holds it long term. Potted plants stay slightly smaller and keep colour in full sun on a balcony.

Growing Abelia Suntastic Peach in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun brings out the strongest peach and gold; part shade greens the foliage and thins the flowering. It suits warm temperate, cool temperate, subtropical and Mediterranean gardens, and being frost hardy it handles cold southern winters once established.

Soil. Any soil that drains. Work compost through the bed at planting and mulch 75mm deep, clear of the stems. On heavy clay, raise the bed rather than digging a sump.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper off; it is drought tolerant from the second year. A complete slow release fertiliser in early spring is enough, plus a light mid summer feed for hedges trimmed often.

Pruning. Trim lightly after flowering to keep it dense and drive fresh coloured growth. If it goes woody at the base, cut it back hard in early spring; abelias reshoot readily from old wood.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in three sizes: tube stock, 140mm in packs of ten, and 200mm in packs of six. Tubes are young single stemmed plants, the best value for a long hedge line and about a season behind the larger grades. The 200mm plants arrive branched and give a low hedge within a year.

Some leaf drop and dulling of colour after transit is normal, not a fault. New growth usually appears within four to six weeks in warm weather. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Edging plants for a defined garden bed
• Low maintenance shrubs on a similar care schedule
• Plants for small gardens and courtyards
• Bee and butterfly plants

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

Sixty centimetres apart in a single row. Any tighter and the plants shade each other at the base, leaving gaps where the hedge most needs to be dense.

Is it evergreen?

Yes, it holds its leaves through winter in Australian conditions. In very cold southern gardens some leaves drop and the foliage bronzes before fresh spring growth.

How do I keep the peach colour strong?

Full sun, and a light prune after flowering. The warmest tones sit in the new growth, so a regularly trimmed plant holds far more colour than one left alone.