Abelia ‘Francis Mason’

Abelia 'Francis Mason' (Abelia x grandiflora 'Francis Mason') is a low hedging shrub that earns its place on foliage alone. It grows to about 1.2m tall and wide, carrying golden variegated leaves that hold their colour all season, then adds lightly scented white to blush flowers from summer into autumn. It is frost hardy, drought tolerant and untroubled by poor soil, so it performs in beds where most variegated plants sulk.

Why you'll love it

• Colour without waiting for flowers. Gold and green variegation does the work between flushes, so the bed never looks like it is between seasons.
• A genuine low hedge. At 1.2m tall and wide it clips to a neat knee or waist height without thinning at the base.
• Tough where it counts. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, wind tolerant and content in poor, stony ground.
• It feeds the garden. The scented flowers pull bees and butterflies in from summer through autumn.

Where it works best

Low hedging. Plant 80cm apart in a single row for a dense hedge you can hold at knee to waist height. It reshoots from old wood, so a hard renovation cut is recoverable.

Borders, edging and mass planting. Repeat it at 80cm along a path for a continuous ribbon of gold, or group three in a mixed bed to lift darker foliage behind.

Pots and small gardens. A pot 400mm or wider suits one plant at an entry, where the variegation brightens a dull corner.

Growing Abelia 'Francis Mason' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the strongest gold; part shade turns the variegation more lime than yellow and thins the flowering. It suits cool temperate, warm temperate, subtropical and Mediterranean gardens, and is frost hardy enough for southern and tableland districts. It is not a plant for the wet tropics.

Soil. Almost anything works provided it drains. On heavy clay, plant slightly high, work compost through the bed and mulch 75mm deep, kept clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Water deeply twice a week through the first summer, after which it is genuinely drought tolerant. A complete slow release fertiliser in early spring is enough; overfeeding only produces soft growth and weaker variegation.

Pruning. Trim after the main flush in late summer, then tidy again in late winter. Cut out any shoot that reverts to plain green as soon as it appears, because reverted growth is more vigorous and will take over.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in three sizes: tubestock, 140mm in packs of ten and 200mm in packs of six. Tubes are the value choice for a long hedge and take two to three seasons to close at 80cm spacing. The 140mm and 200mm plants arrive already branched and cut a season off that.

Plants are packed to travel upright, and a little leaf drop in the first fortnight is normal. Expect new growth within four to six weeks in the warm months, later if it lands mid winter. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read how to plant and maintain a sharp hedge.
• Compare options among the best hedging plants.
• Browse bee and butterfly plants for the rest of the bed.
• See other low maintenance shrubs.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

80cm apart in a single row. That gives a dense low hedge without crowding, and each plant keeps enough light to hold foliage right down to the ground.

Does it drop its leaves in winter?

It holds most of its foliage in mild districts and thins noticeably in cold ones, so treat it as semi evergreen. Growth returns quickly once spring warms up.

Why has part of my plant gone plain green?

Variegated shrubs occasionally throw a reverted shoot with no gold in it. Cut it back to its base, since that growth is stronger and will dominate if left alone.