Two great new shrubs are Rose Creek and Canyon Creek abelias. These exciting new shrubs come from the breeding program of Michael Dirr at the University of Georgia." /> Two great new shrubs are Rose Creek and Canyon Creek abelias. These exciting new shrubs come from the breeding program of Michael Dirr at the University of Georgia." />

CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 02/24/05

Rose Creek, Canyon Creek abelias hot new shrubs

By Gary Wade
University of Georgia

Plant breeders have come a long way in developing new plants with seasonal characteristics that give them outstanding appeal in the landscape.

Volume XXX
Number 1
Page 17
Two great examples these new shrubs are Rose Creek and Canyon Creek abelias. These exciting new shrubs come from the breeding program of Michael Dirr at the University of Georgia.

Since their release in 2001 and 2002, respectively, these plants have earned the admiration of nurserymen, landscapers and gardeners nationwide. They were chosen from a large field of strong contenders for a coveted Georgia Gold Medal Award in 2005.

Rose Creek and Canyon Creek abelias are seedling selections of Chinese abelia (Abelia chinense). They were open-pollinated with other abelia cultivars, so their exact parentage is unknown.

Rose Creek

Rose Creek was selected for its low mounding growth habit, crimson stem color, fragrant white flowers and exceptionally long bloom period (May to frost).

The plant grows 2 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. It's an excellent choice for foundation plantings, containers or low-growing hedges.

Rose Creek has evergreen leaves that emerge with a pinkish cast, turn a lustrous, dark green in summer and then darken to purple-green in winter, giving the plant an ever-changing seasonal interest.

It bears cluster after cluster of white, fragrant, tubular flowers, about a half-inch long, throughout the growing season. Below each flower are small, light pink, modified leaves, called the calyx, which remain on the plant after the flowers fade and provide even more pizzazz to the floral display.

Canyon Creek

Canyon Creek abelia is larger than Rose Creek, growing 4 to 6 feet tall and wide. It's a great hedging plant and is ideal choice for a mixed perennial border. New leaves emerge with a coppery pink cast that mellows to a soft yellow, then green, then rosy bronze in winter.

Flowers are fragrant, tubular, light pink and are borne in clusters from May until frost. The flowers are surrounded at their base by a star-shaped, reddish pink calyx that persists long after the flowers drop, so the plant appears to have two flower forms present at the same time all season.

Both abelias are drought-tolerant, deer-resistant and hardy from zones 6 to 9. They grow well in full sun to partial shade. And pests seldom bother them. They're highly attractive to butterflies and bees, too.

They may require some light pruning from time to time to remove lanky shoots. Otherwise, both plants look their best when allowed to develop a natural, informal look.

(Gary Wade is an Extension Service horticulturist with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)

Gary Wade is a Cooperative Extension horticulturist with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Experts/Sources:
Gary L. Wade
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time to spend more of the holiday with guests, taking time ahead of the day to set expectations can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. CAES News
Manage holiday stress with kindness, boundaries 11/21/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Much like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time allows you to spend more of the holiday with guests, setting expectations ahead of the celebration can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science.
Conner Hall CAES News
CAES welcomes 2024 cohort of Rural Scholars 11/20/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences welcomed its fourth cohort of students chosen for the CAES Rural Scholars Program this fall just weeks after celebrating the program's first graduation. Georgia Orman, one of four inaugural Rural Scholars in CAES, graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education. The new scholars for 2024, all from Georgia, are Ela Ash of Ocilla, Lauren E. Coley of Cochran, Amelia Housley of Canon, and London O’Steen of Ambrose.
Women play a vital role in rural American farming, but much of that work is "invisible," like raising children or household chores, according to a new UGA study. (Getty Images) CAES News
The women and stress behind rural farming in America 11/19/24 Leigh Hataway
Recent research from the University of Georgia suggests the unique stresses from farm life may be taking a toll on one of the pillars of the families that make your dinners possible: the women who keep farming families running. “If we don’t control our food sources, we don’t control our health and safety,” said Anna Scheyett, lead author of the study and a professor in UGA’s School of Social Work. “It’s a matter of national security that farmers survive in the United States. And one of the big factors in helping farms survive is women.”
Mergoum at Creature Comforts CAES News
That's the spirit! 11/18/24 Maria M. Lameiras, Claire Sanders Kinnard
Wheat breeders spend years meticulously crossing varieties to coax the best traits out of each species, carefully propagating plant varieties that are healthier, heartier and better suited for the environments where they are grown. Professional brewmasters are equally painstaking when choosing the components that will give their beers a specific flavor profile.
Contest-winning concept becomes viable business for alumnus who developed solar-powered, self-propelled chicken coop as a student. CAES News
Poultry in motion 11/14/24 Sean Montgomery
Chris Ayers emerged from his orange and black rough-terrain vehicle with an ear-to-ear grin. “This is Chiktopia,” he said, sweeping his arm wide to indicate the back half of a 3,600-square-foot warehouse on his family’s farm in Ball Ground, Georgia. “This is where I manufacture and assemble the chicken coops. Everything is done entirely from over here.”
UGA Grand Farm Site Plan web CAES News
UGA Grand Farm wins stage two of 2024 Growth Accelerator Fund competition 11/13/24 Jordan Powers
Startups in the agricultural technology sector face significant barriers on the path to establishment, including access to training and capital. These barriers are heightened for underrepresented entrepreneurs seeking to start new companies. The University of Georgia Grand Farm, part of a historic partnership between the University of Georgia and Fargo, North Dakota-based Grand Farm, aims to change that.