Like a starlet incessantly strive for best - dressed position , " Kaleidoscope " abelia ( Abelia x grandiflora " Kaleidoscope " ) updates its wardrobe from season to season . The scarlet - stemmed shrub ’s stinker - bordered , chartreuse spring leaf swop deep dark-green , with creamy- or gold - yellow sharpness in summer . Accessorizing the summertime display , pale - pinkish bud andfragrant white flowerscontinue into fall , when the works becomes a swirl of green , orangish , yellow and red . In much of its growing range , " Kaleidoscope " retains its color through winter .
Watering “Kaleidoscope”
" Kaleidoscope " keep on its magnificent variegation through the hot summer in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant life hardiness zone 6 though 10 . Even so , it wo n’t survive indefinitely without a drink . According to " Kaleidoscope ’s " breeder , Panoramic Farm of North Carolina , the bush performs best in systematically moist soil . Before watering , sneak in a trowel 3 in into the dry land . If the soil on its tip is damp , wait . If it ’s dry , water slowly and profoundly around the bush ’s stem . If it has n’t rained , 6 gallon of body of water for every square yard of ground " Kaleidoscope " covers provides 1 inch of water , a weekly ration passable for Lucius DuBignon Clay or loam grease . If your soil ’s on the sandy side , provide 3 gallons per 1 straight yard twice every week .
Feeding “Kaleidoscope”
" Kaleidoscope " benefit from an yearly eating , timed in early spring before its new leave emerge , or in other summertime when its flower bud appear . It ’s happiest in acidulent soil , so a meal of granulate fertilizer formulated for Lucy in the sky with diamonds - roll in the hay flora such as azaleas ( Rhododendron spp . ) , which grow in USDA zone 4 through 9 , is best . After scattering 1/4- to 1/2- cup — or the label ’s urge amount — evenly beneath the point of the outermost leg , irrigate it softly into the soil . Keep the fertilizer away from the trunk and foliage , or it may combust them .
When to Prune
top out at 3 foundation tall with a 5 - pes spread , " Kaleidoscope ’s " tears form seldom postulate weighty pruning . If vigorous increase leaves it shaggy , prune only what ’s necessary to rejuvenate a symmetrical figure . Reserve heavier pruning for its late wintertime quiescence , when removing old branch encourages smartly flower new ones . Take no more than one - third of them , so shrub keeps enough foliage to maintain it . habituate clean , sharp pruning dick and disinfect them between cuts in a root of 1 part household whitener to 9 parts water supply so you do n’t accidentally circulate disease .
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