Abelia has a summer bloom that lasts until the first autumn frosts. This season it also offers beautiful copper bracts on reddish to purple leaves.
In the vegetable garden, we can sow cilantro and arugula at this time to harvest by next spring.
Its flowers bloom in the heart of summer: thousands of small bells open one after another until autumn. When the flowers fade, the bright pink calyx remains. Its leaves are small, dark green and evergreen. Abelia is a shrub in the Caprifoliaceae family native to the Himalayas, China, Japan and Mexico. It is very easy to cultivate, resistant, without pests or diseases! Its compact, bushy form is well suited to small gardens. It can be planted in a small hedge, or in a flower bed surrounded by perennial flowers (asters, anthemis, etc.) or with other shrubs with wide, colorful leaves.
To plant in the fall
We plant it in the fall. It likes the sun, sheltered from cold winds. Prefers good garden soil and fears waterlogged soil in winter. It is also afraid of calcareous soils (causse). It is quite sober, but still appreciates watering during heat waves. When planting, bring a bucket of good compost, but avoid fertilizers high in nitrogen.
It is resistant, it can withstand the city air and the spray of the sea.
On a balcony, it will need a container 30 to 40 cm deep. Then it must be trimmed every year, otherwise it would lose its rounded shape and become bald. To ensure drainage, mix 10% sand with the potting soil.
It grows slowly, 20 cm per year, and can reach 1.50 to 3 m depending on the variety. In clumps, they are planted with a distance of 1.50 to 2 m; and 50 cm for the hedge: it branches naturally and does not require annual cutting. However, old branches should be removed every 3 years. This will encourage the development of new branches.
You will find various varieties at nurseries.
Sow cilantro and arugula
Sown in spring, they go to seed quickly. Sown now, you will be able to harvest by spring if there are no severe frosts.
Sow them in rows 25 cm apart. If the growth is too dense, it is thinned to 10 cm. Water often. In a few weeks you will be able to harvest them regularly, they will grow back over time.
Fresh, they will improve your salads. They will work wonders in vegetable pie fillings and of course in vegetable stews… One of my favorite recipes is veal stewed in butternut squash with one of these two herbs of your choice.