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Weigela florida - Weigela
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| With spring pruning, Weigela florida will form a good rounded or slightly spreading form. If not pruned, it can end up looking somewhat wild. | The leaf is elliptic with an acuminate tip and a serrated margin. They are arranged oppositely on the stem. |
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| Pink tubular flowers bloom in abundance during the spring. | Small elongated seed capsules form over summer. |
Plant Description
Weigela florida, commonly just referred to simply as Weigela, is an old-fashioned plant that has recently seen a surge of popularity thanks to an abundance of new cultivars. It is a medium to large sized shrub, growing 6-9 feet high and 9-12 feet wide, though the majority of cultivars are smaller than 5 feet. It has a dense, rounded to spreading form with long arching branches. The new growth can make it look somewhat wild in appearance. It grows best in a hot and sunny location with dry, well-drained soil.
The stem is a pale brown color with large lenticels. The leaves are elliptic to ovate in shape with a finely serrated margin. The leaf comes to a point at the tip and is rounded at the base. The actual species is a rich green color, but most of the popular cultivars are either purple-leaved or variegated.
The real charm of Weigela is its period of profuse blooming in the spring. The tubular flowers are bright pink, 1-2 inches long, and form all along the length of the stem. They can form singly or in a small clusters. The flowers bloom for 5-6 weeks, with the most showy period lasting approximately 20 days. Flowers will continue to appear sporadically throughout the summer and into fall, but nowhere near the numbers as in spring. During the summer, elongated seed capsules form on the plant. They are not ornamentally important.
Landscape Use
Use in shrub or perennial borders or as a foundation planting. It is a good choice for dry and difficult sites where it should thrive with only minimal supplemental irrigation. I have not seen it used in parking islands but don' t see why it would not perform well in that location.
Points of Interest
It is a hardy and vigorous grower, but can suffer from substantial winter die back. Prune out any dead wood to encourage new growth and keep a good form.
Notable Cultivars
Midnight Wine
A dwarf selection with very dark purple foliage and bright pink flowers. It grows on 18-24 inches high and wide.
Alexandra (Wine & Roses)
One of the most popular varieties. It has purple foliage and hot pink blossoms. It grows 4-5 feet high and wide.
My Monet
A variegated dwarf variety of Weigela. The leaves are green with a variegated white margin tinged with light pink hues. The flowers are pink. It grows 18-24 inches high and wide.
Red Prince
A larger green-leaved variety. The flowers are a bright red and stand out against the foliage. Grows 5-6 feet high and wide.
Minuet
The leaves are green with a purple overcast. The flowers are a dark pink or red.
