Little Richard Abelia

After back filling and lightly compacting the 50/50 mix of existing soil and compost give the Little Richard Abelia a good deep watering. This is not to be rushed. Most of the water you put on the plant at first will run away from the plant until the soil is soaked. A general rule of thumb is to count to 5 for every one gallon of pot size. For example a one gallon pot would be watered until you count to 5 a three gallon pot would be 15 and so on. Check the plant daily for the first week or so and then every other day there after. Water using the counting method for the first few weeks. Gator bag Jr. can be used to help aid in this process and also provide plants with a good soaking due to the slow release of the water into the root-zone of the plant. Soaker Hoses can also be used to water when planting a long hedge.

Abelia is one of the easiest to grow and one of the most underused ornamental available today. In order for abelia to give their maximum performance, certain fertilization requirements must be met. Despite their fast growth patterns, abelia are considered to be light feeders. Although many well established Little Richard Abelia perform wonderfully in the garden without being fertilized, they will do even better with a regular fertilization program. Apply an early spring fertilizer with a product such as Espoma Tree-tone or Plant-tone at the recommended rate this will give the plant a boost of nitrogen that will be needed for healthy abundant foliage. Follow this up with a early summer application of Espoma Holly-Tone, this will provide the necessary nutrients and raise the acid level in the soil which abelia tend to favor. Espoma products are easy to use, just sprinkle around the base of the plant and water it in.

We highly recommend that you mulch your Little Richard Abelia with either a ground hardwood mulch or a ground cypress mulch depending on your local availability. Any type of mulch will do but cypress or hardwood mulch will be of a higher quality and provide better nutrition overall as they breakdown. Mulching helps to keep weeds away which will compete with your new investment for water and nutrients. A 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch is sufficient but remember to take care not to cover any part of the stem of the plant with mulch. Its better to leave a one inch gap of space between the mulch and the stem or trunk of the Little Richard Abelia.