How to Grow and Care for Weigela Shrubs

Weigela spp.

Weigela, Weigela spp., is a genus of deciduous woody shrubs within the Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle household. 

It’s suited to cultivation in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 9, displaying plenty of showy, trumpet-like blooms from late spring to early summer time, with occasional lighter flowering later within the season.

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I’ve discovered weigela dependable to the purpose of being indestructible right here within the northeast, the place neither harsh winters nor my annual exhausting pruning has ever fazed the shrub.

If that seems like what you’re on the lookout for, learn on!

Right here’s what we’ll cowl:

Let’s start with some background.

Cultivation and Historical past

Native to China, Japan, and Korea, there are about 10 species within the Weigela genus and the kinds accessible to the house gardener are typically hybrids and cultivars of W. florida, aka “old school weigela.”

They sometimes bloom on outdated wooden within the spring and on new wooden periodically all through the rising season.

Flower colours embrace pink, purple, crimson, white, and sometimes, yellow, although yellow blooms are fairly uncommon.

The leaves are serrated, elliptical, and opposing. They might be virtually black, burgundy, inexperienced, purple, or variegated.

The shrubs have a rounded type with dense, multi-stemmed, upright development that branches and arches downward.

Mature dimensions are about six to 10 ft tall with a variety of 9 to 12 ft, however cultivated varieties are typically smaller, so when you’re procuring remember to learn all plant descriptions intently.

Scottish botanist Robert Fortune is credited with bringing W. florida to England in 1845. It was the primary species in a nationwide assortment that grew as extra plant hunters added specimens found overseas.

The genus identify honors Swedish-born German scientist and professor of botany and a number of disciplines, Christian Ehrenfried von Weigel.

From public gardens to the house panorama, weigela is prized for its ample blooms, straightforward cultivation, lack of pest and illness points, and low upkeep care necessities.

Let’s discuss beginning one at residence.

Weigela Propagation

Dwelling gardeners can begin a plant in 3 ways: from seed, by way of stem cuttings, or by transplanting a nursery begin.

Right here’s how:

From Seed

Weigela seeds wouldn’t have a excessive germination fee and will take a month to sprout.

It’s vital to notice that seeds collected from current crops almost certainly won’t develop true to the guardian plant, as many of those are hybrids.

To begin weigela from seed, fill a seed starter tray or three-inch starter pots with well-draining potting soil or seed-starter combine.

Moisten the medium and floor sow the seeds, as they want mild to germinate.

Set the tray or pots in a location indoors with shiny, oblique mild, and keep even moisture and supply shiny, oblique daylight.

Overwinter indoors or in a greenhouse and transplant the seedlings to the panorama the next spring.

From Stem Cuttings

In early summer time, simply after flowering, there’s a flush of latest foliar development. Reduce a comfortable stem six inches lengthy from the department tip. Make the minimize just under a pair of leaves, a pure rising level.

Take away the underside two leaves and pinch off the tip development to retain one or two pairs of leaves within the center.

Fill a six-inch-deep container three-quarters filled with potting soil.

Dip the underside of the stem into rooting hormone powder.

Poke the stem into the soil deep sufficient that the bottom pair of leaves is simply above soil stage.

Place the container in shiny, oblique daylight indoors or a sheltered, sunny outside location.

Hold the soil evenly moist, by no means letting the container utterly dry out.

New leaves signify profitable rooting and readiness for transplant.

You can even use hardwood for cuttings, however as these take longer to root, you’ll have to maintain them indoors till the next spring after which transplant them to the backyard.

By Layering

You probably have an current plant, it’s straightforward to propagate by way of layering, which you are able to do at any time in the course of the rising season. Right here’s how:

Choose one of many lowest branches that grazes the bottom.

Utilizing a knife, fastidiously scrape off a one-inch part of bark and cambium to disclose the within of the stem.

Lay the department on the bottom. Be aware the place the realm that you simply scraped touches the soil.

Make a shallow properly within the soil beneath the scraped portion to set it just under the soil floor.

Mound about two cups of soil on prime of the scraped portion to maintain it in place. You’ll be able to put a rock on prime of the soil for a extra everlasting maintain. Contact between the scraped part of department and the soil generates root development.

Go away the layered department in place till the next spring.

Whenever you take away the rock and the highest layer of soil, you’ll discover the scraped portion is connected to the bottom as a result of it has sprouted roots.

Sever the department six to eight inches beneath the rooted portion to detach it from the shrub.

Dig not less than eight inches deep below the rooted portion to elevate it and plant all the clump elsewhere within the backyard.

Transplanting

Transplant seedlings, rooted cuttings, and nursery crops out into the panorama not less than eight weeks earlier than the primary frost.

Work the soil to a crumbly consistency, and dig a gap the identical depth and two to a few instances as large as the present pot or the basis ball of the shrub.

Set the plant within the gap in order that the crown the place the stems and roots meet is barely above floor stage. Mounding promotes good drainage, which is crucial for profitable institution.

Backfill and tamp the soil to safe the plant in an upright place. Water properly and tamp once more.

Preserve even moisture when the crops turn out to be established.

How you can Develop Weigela

As talked about, weigela shrubs are hardy in Zones 4 to 9, relying on the cultivar. Select a location in your panorama with full solar to half shade and common, well-draining soil.

The best soil pH is barely acidic to impartial, 6.0 to 7.0. Conduct a soil check both by means of your native extension workplace or with a house check package and amend with compost or humus to extend acidity as wanted. Common soil is appropriate and clay is tolerated.

Present an inch of supplemental water per week within the absence of rain in the course of the first 12 months.

As soon as established, the shrubs are drought tolerant, however like most, profit from watering throughout a chronic dry spell.

If you’re rising your weigela shrub in a container, notice that pots dry out faster than floor soil and will require extra frequent watering.

Rising Suggestions

Let’s recap the rising necessities:

Select a location with full solar to partial shade.
Amend the soil as wanted for a pH between 6.0 and seven.0.
Preserve reasonable moisture, an inch per week.

With cultural necessities met, your weigela is off to a promising begin.

After a very harsh winter, some outdated branches or department parts might die again utterly or partially. In the event that they fail to provide any foliage, prune them off at their level of origin.

In the event that they produce foliage at a distance from the tip, take away the portion that’s useless by chopping it off simply above the primary leaf pair.

You could need to minimize blooming stems for vase preparations, if that’s the case, ensure you make your cuts simply above a pair of leaves to encourage speedy regrowth.

I like to offer my weigela a tough prune post-bloom, however by no means take away greater than one-third of the full quantity to keep away from shock.

Some gardeners develop their weigela shrubs as a hedge, shaping them post-bloom to take care of a rounded or boxed type.

If branches are damaged or in any other case broken, sever them cleanly to take away jagged edges that will fail to heal and invite pests and pathogens.

Along with pruning, provide supplemental water throughout a drought, monitor your shrubs for indicators of pests and illness, and act promptly to deal with each.

In fall, within the coldest areas, layer two to a few inches of mulch over the basis zone with out touching the branches for added winter insulation.

Weigela Cultivars to Choose

There are a lot of thrilling cultivated weigela varieties. Listed below are a couple of to whet your urge for food:

Crimson Kisses

Crimson Kisses®, Weigela x ‘Slingco 1,’ is a prolific cultivar with crimson flowers that reblooms reliably from summer time to fall.

Crimson Kisses

Mature dimensions are a compact three to 4 ft tall and large.

This cultivar is finest suited to Zones 4 to 9 and it pairs properly with different small-stature shrubs and perennials in blended groupings.

Crimson Kisses® is out there from Burpee.

My Monet

My Monet® aka W. florida ‘Verweig’ is a dwarf variegated selection that options pink flowers and inexperienced leaves with cream margins.

My Monet

Suited to cultivation in Zones 4 to six, it has a petite stature of 12 to 18 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches large, good for container gardening in small areas with full solar.

My Monet® is out there from Nature Hills Nursery in #2 and #3 containers.

Sonic Bloom

Reblooming Sonic Bloom®, W. florida ‘BOKrasopin,’ is suited to Zones 4 to eight, prefers full solar, and shows waves of daring magenta-pink flowers and inexperienced foliage from spring to first frost.

Sonic Bloom

Mature dimensions are 4 to 5 ft tall and large for showy stand-alone specimens.

Sonic Bloom® is out there from Quick Rising Bushes.

Managing Pests and Illness

Weigela isn’t typically vulnerable to issues with pests or illness. Nevertheless, there are some with which you ought to be acquainted.

Pests it’s possible you’ll encounter embrace:

Aphids, four-lined plant bugs, mealybugs, scale, and spider mites are all pests that harm weigela crops by sucking the sap from the stems and foliage.

Telltale indicators of infestation are seen pests, leaf holes and deformities, and sticky “honeydew” excrement trails that may appeal to sooty mould.

A agency spray of water from the hose or remedy with natural neem oil could also be all it’s essential to deal with them.

Japanese beetles defoliate shrubs by consuming the leaves and are finest hand-picked or captured in specifically designed traps.

Wholesome crops that obtain loads of daylight and aren’t under- or overwatered are the least more likely to be affected by backyard pests and ailments.

Finest Makes use of for Weigela

Weigela is a flexible shrub with many makes use of within the residence panorama.

Dot a number of shrubs alongside a walkway to your entrance door for a repeating border sample. Select cultivars of modest dimension or prune to forestall obstructing the trail. Interplant with companions as desired.

Set up basis plantings to extend curb enchantment by softening exhausting brick and stone strains.

Let the bushes take an off-the-cuff, pure form or prune then formally for hedges to divide properties. Hold them low and pleasant or excessive for privateness, as we do beneath.

In my backyard, I get pleasure from weigela with bee balm, coneflower, dwarf decorative weeping cherry, and Montauk daisy round my patio. They share related cultural necessities and are enticing blended grouping companions.

Create privateness with a number of weigela bushes close to property perimeters and round swimming pools.

Choose a favourite cultivar and create a stand-alone drift the place it may well obtain full dimensions and be a focus in your panorama.

Weigela don’t appeal to deer and tolerate reasonable salt publicity, enhancing their sturdiness in each rural and concrete settings.

They might appeal to helpful pollinators, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Fast Reference Rising Information

Plant Sort:Woody shrubFlower/Foliage ColorPink, crimson, white, yellow/Burgundy, inexperienced, variegated

Native to:China, Japan, KoreaTolerance:Clay soil, deer, reasonable salt

Hardiness (USDA Zone):4-8Maintenance:Low

Bloom Time/Season:Late spring, summer time, and fallSoil Sort:Common

Publicity:Full solar to half shadeSoil pH:6.0-7.0

Spacing:9 to 12 feetSoil Drainage:Effectively-draining

Planting Depth:Floor sow (seed), crown barely above soil levelAttracts:Butterflies, hummingbirds, pollinators

Top:6-10 feetCompanion Planting:Bee balm, coneflower, dwarf decorative weeping cherry, Montauk daisy

Unfold:9-12 feetUses:Border, basis planting, hedging, blended shrub grouping, privateness display screen, specimen

Progress Price:ModerateFamily:Caprifoliaceae

Water Wants:ModerateGenus:Weigela

Widespread Pests and Illnesses:Aphids, four-lined plant bugs, Japanese beetles, mealybugs, spider mites, scale; anthracnose, Botrytis grey mould, powdery mildew Species:Coraeensis, decora, floribunda, florida, hortensis, japonica

Why Not Weigela?

When you’re on the lookout for an easy-care flowering shrub that packs a strong early season punch, it’s time to introduce a number of low-maintenance weigela cultivars to your private home panorama.

Within the 9 years I had the privilege of caring for weigela, I by no means had a pest or pathogen concern and was rewarded with plenty of deep pink blooms.

I can’t say it was a pollinator magnet, because the bees and different helpful bugs appeared to want my native bee balm, however it was sturdy, resilient, and reliable. What extra may I ask?

Do you develop weigela? Please share your ideas within the feedback part beneath.

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Picture by Nan Schiller © Ask the Specialists, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for extra particulars. Product photographs by way of Burpee, Quick Rising Bushes, Nature Hills Nursery, and Southern Ag. Uncredited photographs: Shutterstock.