August Plant of the Month at the Visitor's Center!

What a perfect time of year to plant glossy abelia! This plant is heading into its most magnificent months of the year. This semi-evergreen shrub blooms from May to September and is a pollinator magnet! At this time of year, these medium-sized shrubs are covered in fragrant pinkish-white blooms that attract bees and other beneficials in droves. Butterflies and hummingbirds are drawn to the tubular-shaped flowers, making abelia a great addition to this style of themed garden. After the flowers fade, the bracts remain, holding us under the illusion that abelia blooms for almost half of the year. As we near the cooler months of autumn, abelia’s glossy green foliage turns a bronzy purple, oftentimes holding onto this wonderful display throughout the winter. A great addition to any landscape, either as a specimen or planted in mass to create a formal hedge (which can be viewed around the edges of the Garden Pavilion water feature at Bernheim Arboretum.)