Kaleidoscope Abelia                        a-BE-li-a x gran-di-FLO-ra

• Broadleaf evergreen to semi-evergreen shrub, compact and dense low mounding to 24-30 inches (~60-75 cm) tall by 36-42 inches (~90-105 cm) wide with bright red stems.  Leaves simple, opposite, glossy, variegated; yellow with a green center spring and summer then in the fall a combination of golden-yellow, orange and fiery-red.  Flowers white, fragrant, tubular, blooms in summer and into fall.
• Sun, full sun enhances vibrancy of the foliage colors, reportedly the foliage does not scortch in full sun; will tolerate shade.
• Hardy to USDA Zone 6    ‘Kaleidoscope’ was discovered in 1997 by Randy Lindsey, Locust, NC, as a single variegated branch sport on an individual of Abelia × grandiflora ‘Little Richard’, a non-variegated selection.  The three closest comparison variegated Abelia selections are Abelia × grandiflora ‘Sunrise’ (P.P. 9,698), Abelia × grandiflora ‘Conti’ (P.P 8,472) and Abelia × grandiflora × Abelia chinensis ‘Mardi Gras’ (P.P. 15,203).  The leaves of these three variegated selections are predominantly green, some 70-85% of the leaf suface is green with a relatively uniform and slender white or cream-yellow margin.  In contrast, the leaves of ‘Kaleidoscope’ consist of smaller green blotches which occupy approximately 50% of the entire leaf surface, this area is surrounded by yellow (spring and summer) or orange and red margins (fall) which approximately occupy the remaining 50% of the leaf surface (U.S. Plant Patent 16,988, July 15, 2006)