Plant Profile: Zabelia tyaihyoni (syn. Abelia mosanensis)

Known as Korean Abelia or Fragrant Abelia, this deciduous shrub is actually not an Abelia at all but a close relative in the Caprifoliacae family.

Z. tyaihyoni forms a medium-sized shrub, arching stems bearing glossy green leaves that colour spectacularly to orange-red in autumn. Clusters of pink buds open in May-June into spherical heads of white-pink flowers, that are highly jasmine-scented. The flowering season is long, and the attractive sepals are retained after flowering.

What makes Z. tyaihyoni so valuable as an urban shrub is its combination of exceptional cold hardiness and heat tolerance. Few other flowering shrubs can be grown successfully all the way from southern Europe to northern Scandinavia.

In contrast to its Abelia cousins, whose stems are often killed to ground level in harsh winter climates, Z. tyaihyoni bears -20°C or more without physical damage. At the same time, it can withstand hot continental summers in leaf (though plants will suffer where the humidity is also high). Established plants are able to survive several weeks of drought

Plants thrive in full sun to part shade and tolerate a broad spectrum of soil types, though they are happiest in free-draining substrates (their wild habitat is on limestone outcrops).

Little maintenance is needed, and there are no significant pest or disease problems. Since it is not killed back in winter, it is potentially valuable as a flowering hedge.

Native to the north-eastern part of the Korean peninsula, only a tiny remnant population exists south of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), so Z. tyaihyoni has been effectively inaccessible to Western collectors for decades.

For this reason, most cultivated material likely originates from a limited number of sources (perhaps arriving in the West via Soviet Latvia). These circumstances might explain the apparent lack of diversity between commercially available varieties, e.g., ‘Monia’ and BRIDAL BOUQUET.

This article was first published in the April 2024 issue of FloraCulture International. The author is Martin Deasy, a UK-based horticulturist and landscape designer.