Illustration
Glossy Abelia
Abelia × grandiflora
Also called largeflower abelia
Also comes in pink.
Glossy Abelia blooms from May through September.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Glossy Abelia
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 6–9. Expect it to reach about 4.5 ft tall and 4.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 4 years (a house reading).
No toxicity note is on file for Glossy Abelia. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant, with what the sources could not settle written down; years to mature size rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one, and is marked so; its common name and alternate names have not been checked yet. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Glossy Abelia
Plant Glossy Abelia in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 7, the middle of its hardy zones 6 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means September or October. Once settled, it blooms from May to September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 7, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 7 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Glossy Abelia get?
4.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult4.5 ftwideSee Glossy Abelia in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Glossy Abelia
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Glossy Abelia about 4.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Glossy Abelia to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Glossy Abelia's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 7 published sources on September 26, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State ExtensionGardener Plant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil and diseases
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- The Morton Arboretumheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil and pests
- University of Florida IFASEDIS FPS 001, Abelia x grandiflora: Glossy Abeliaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, soil and diseases
- Oregon State UniversityLandscape Plantsheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color and soil
- Plant Addictsarticle: Are Abelias Poisonous?pests and toxicity
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
2 more varieties in the Abelia group
Same genus, similar care - pick the one you are growing.
Compare every variety in the Abelia group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glossythis page | White | May–Sep | Zones 6–9 | Full sun | 4.5 ft × 4.5 ft |
| Kaleidoscope | White | Jun–Sep | Zones 6–9 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Rose Creek | White | May–Oct | Zones 6–9 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 3.5 ft |
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.