About
Abutilon 'Estella's Little Bird' is an evergreen shrub that typically reaches a height of about 2 meters. It features slender, arching branches adorned with vibrant green foliage, characterized by three narrow, pointed lobes. From summer into early autumn, this plant produces hanging flowers with flared yellow petals, complemented by reddish calyces and prominent dark red stamens that emerge along the young stems.
About the genus
Abutilon encompasses a variety of growth forms, including evergreen and deciduous shrubs, trees, perennials, and annuals. The foliage can be either simple or palmately lobed, and the flowers are typically bell-shaped or bowl-shaped, frequently featuring prominent stamens.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H3
Plant details
- Plant type
- Shrubs, Conservatory Greenhouse
- Habit
- Spreading branched
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 1.5-2.5 metres
- Spread
- 1.5-2.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 5-10 years
- Suggested uses
- City and courtyard gardens, Coastal, Cottage and informal garden, Sub-tropical
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Thrives in moderately fertile, well-drained soil in a sunny, sheltered position. Ideal for a protected warm wall or large conservatory. May need winter protection
- Pruning
- Pruning group 9; or pruning group 13 for wall-trained specimens
- Propagation
- Propagate by softwood and semi-ripe cuttings at any time; hardwood cuttings in autumn
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to glasshouse whitefly, glasshouse red spider mite, mealybugs and scale insects
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely) or a virus