Bounteous Summer Blossoms

Wine & Roses weigela bears pink flowers and purple foliage.

'Sonic Bloom Red' weigela bears deep green foliage and scarlet flowers.

'Bristol Ruby' weigela has bright red flowers with glossy green leaves. Plants are more upright than other weigelas.

Variegated weigela has pink flowers with green leaves edged in creamy-white.

A close-up of the pink flowers of the variegated weigela.

​Common Name: Weigela
Botanical Name: Weigela
Form:   dense, rounded with arching branches
Family: Caprifoliaceae
Genus:  Weigela
Species: there are many species and cultivars
Plant Type:  woody deciduous shrub
Mature Size: 6 to 10ft tall and 9 to 12ft wide
Growth: fast
Origin: North China, Korea and Japan
Hardiness Zone: 4 to 8
Foliage: simple, ovate-oblong, medium green leaves up to 4 inches long with serrated margins, no significant fall colour
Flowers: funnel shaped, 5 lobed, 1.25 inches long flowers April to June with some repeat blooms, pinks and reds, blooms profusely
Fruit: insignificant dry capsule
Exposure: full sun for best blooming, tolerates light and dappled shade
Soil: average, moist but well-drained soils best, soil tolerant including clay
Uses: attracts hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, border, foundation, medium screen, accent, informal hedge
Propagation:  softwood and semi-hardwood cuttings
Pruning: right after flowering as they bloom on year old wood
​Problems: wet soil, poorly drained soil promotes root rot
Cultivars:  W. florida ‘Rubidor’ (chartreuse foliage, pink flowers, 6ft x 8ft), W. florida ‘Variegata’ (green & cream foliage, pink flowers, 8ft x 8ft.), W. ‘Sonic Bloom Red’ (red blooms, repeat flowering, 5ft x 5ft), W. ‘Wine & Roses’ (5ft tall & wide, rose pink flowers, dark purple foliage), W. florida 'Bristol Ruby' (deep pink flowers, green foliage, 6ft x 6ft)
Dwarf cultivars: W. florida 'Variegata Nana' has light pink flowers and variegated leaves, 3ft x 3ft. ‘My Monet’ grows up to 2ft x 18”, variegated leaves and deep purple-pink flowers.
Comments: Weigelas look best when left to grow to their desired shape and size, this means plan ahead. Give them enough space so they can show off all their beautiful flowers on their graceful arching stems. Select dwarf cultivars if you just don’t have the space to accommodate a regular sized species. 

Rubidor weigela has cascading branches.

Rubidor weigela bears chartreuse foliage and bright deep pink flowers.

A stunning variegated weigela, Weigela florida 'Variegata'.