There is Abelia 'nana' - this is a dwarf form,but whether you can get hold of one here I don't know - seems to be freely available in Australia. Abelia grandiflora does respond well to pruning, and in fact, needs clipping back to stop it getting scraggly, but it does want to get a fair size, so keeping it at, say, 2 or 3 feet would mean clipping it back too often and possibly losing flowers.

Thanks Bamboo . . . I don't know how you know so much! We're lucky to have you here. :))

Some of it I know, some of it I do a quick bit of research,nothing special about it really Sheilabub.

There is another neat form called A. 'Edward Goucher', pink flowering, and I've acquired an A. grandiflora 'Compacta' from on of my wholesale suppliers in the New Forest. Seems to be a toughie, and flowers late, like it's big half-brother. A. 'Kaleidoscope' only grows to 2-3ft. and I've had one in a tub for the last three years, along with A. 'Confetti', similarly neat and rounded. Abelia was one of my Dad's favourite shrubs, so I've always got one in a planting scheme, if I can engineer it! Phil

Ah, there you go then Sheila, must be available then. Just for interest's sake, 'nana' just means small, so whenever you see that tagged onto a plant name, that's what it means, a small version.

Many thanks Phil j - you've confirmed what I found on Google this afternoon. I thought Edward Goucher looked good, but not sure how easy it will be to source. I shall now look out for 'Compacta' and A. Kaleidoscope and A. Confetti . . . they sound very much like my sort of thing!

Had to go and watch Titch, so stopped short. But many thanks for all the info Phil and Bamboo.

Glad you asked this question, very fond of Abelia but it does romp away.....I have seen it pruned back very hard, which is what we are going to do with ours, as it is in the front garden which is tiny!!