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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 lots of showy, trumpet-like blooms from late spring to early summer season, 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 laborious pruning has ever fazed the shrub.
If that feels 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 categories out there to the house gardener are typically hybrids and cultivars of W. florida, aka “old school weigela.”
They usually bloom on previous wooden within the spring and on new wooden periodically all through the rising season.
Flower colours embody pink, purple, purple, white, and sometimes, yellow, although yellow blooms are fairly uncommon.
The leaves are serrated, elliptical, and opposing. They could be nearly black, burgundy, inexperienced, purple, or variegated.
The shrubs have a rounded kind with dense, multi-stemmed, upright progress that branches and arches downward.
Mature dimensions are about six to 10 toes tall with a selection of 9 to 12 toes, however cultivated varieties are typically smaller, so when you’re purchasing make sure you 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 title 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, simple cultivation, lack of pest and illness points, and low upkeep care necessities.
Let’s speak about beginning one at house.
Weigela Propagation
Residence gardeners can begin a plant in 3 ways: from seed, through stem cuttings, or by transplanting a nursery begin.
Right here’s how:
From Seed
Weigela seeds don’t have a excessive germination price and should take a month to sprout.
It’s vital to notice that seeds collected from present crops most certainly is not going to develop true to the dad or mum 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 vivid, oblique mild, and preserve even moisture and supply vivid, oblique daylight.
Overwinter indoors or in a greenhouse and transplant the seedlings to the panorama the next spring.
From Stem Cuttings
In early summer season, simply after flowering, there’s a flush of recent foliar progress. Minimize a comfortable stem six inches lengthy from the department tip. Make the lower slightly below a pair of leaves, a pure rising level.
Take away the underside two leaves and pinch off the tip progress to retain one or two pairs of leaves within the center.
Fill a six-inch-deep container three-quarters stuffed 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 vivid, oblique daylight indoors or a sheltered, sunny outside location.
Maintain 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 must hold them indoors till the next spring after which transplant them to the backyard.
By Layering
You probably have an present plant, it’s simple to propagate through layering, which you are able to do at any time through 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. Observe the place the world that you simply scraped touches the soil.
Make a shallow properly within the soil beneath the scraped portion to set it slightly below the soil floor.
Mound about two cups of soil on prime of the scraped portion to maintain it in place. You possibly can 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 progress.
Depart 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 under the rooted portion to detach it from the shrub.
Dig a minimum of eight inches deep below the rooted portion to elevate it and plant your complete clump elsewhere within the backyard.
Transplanting
Transplant seedlings, rooted cuttings, and nursery crops out into the panorama a minimum of eight weeks earlier than the primary frost.
Work the soil to a crumbly consistency, and dig a gap the identical depth and two to 3 instances as broad as the present pot or the foundation 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 important for profitable institution.
Backfill and tamp the soil to safe the plant in an upright place. Water properly and tamp once more.
Keep even moisture when the crops turn into established.
Learn how to 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 through the first yr.
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, word that pots dry out faster than floor soil and should require extra frequent watering.
Rising Ideas
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.
- Keep reasonable moisture, an inch per week.
With cultural necessities met, your weigela is off to a promising begin.
Pruning and Upkeep
In early spring, fertilize with an all-purpose, slow-release, granular product. A ten-10-10 product is appropriate.
Moisten the soil and sprinkle the granules in a hoop 12 to 24 inches away from the stems to keep away from the fertilizer making direct contact. Then, water a second time.
A product to strive is Southern Ag All-Goal Fertilizer 10-10-10, out there from Amazon.
Southern Ag All Goal Fertilizer
This product is available in five-pound luggage, comprises equal components of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (Okay). Along with shrubs, you should utilize it to feed flowers, bushes, and greens.
After a very harsh winter, some previous branches or department parts could die again utterly or partially. In the event that they fail to supply 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 reducing it off simply above the primary leaf pair.
It’s possible you’ll need to lower blooming stems for vase preparations, in that case, be sure to make your cuts simply above a pair of leaves to encourage fast regrowth.
I like to present my weigela a tough prune post-bloom, however by no means take away greater than one-third of the overall quantity to keep away from shock.
Some gardeners develop their weigela shrubs as a hedge, shaping them post-bloom to keep up a rounded or boxed kind.
If branches are damaged or in any other case broken, sever them cleanly to take away jagged edges which 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 handle each.
In fall, within the coldest areas, layer two to 3 inches of mulch over the foundation zone with out touching the branches for added winter insulation.
Weigela Cultivars to Choose
There are various thrilling cultivated weigela varieties. Listed here are a couple of to whet your urge for food:
Crimson Kisses
Crimson Kisses®, Weigela x ‘Slingco 1,’ is a prolific cultivar with purple flowers that reblooms reliably from summer season to fall.
Crimson Kisses
Mature dimensions are a compact three to 4 toes tall and broad.
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 broad, 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 toes tall and broad for showy stand-alone specimens.
Sonic Bloom® is out there from Quick Rising Timber.
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 embody:
Aphids, four-lined plant bugs, mealybugs, scale, and spider mites are all pests that injury 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 mildew.
A agency spray of water from the hose or therapy with natural neem oil could also be all it’s good to deal with them.
Japanese beetles defoliate shrubs by consuming the leaves and are finest hand-picked or captured in specifically designed traps.
Illnesses to pay attention to embody:
Anthracnose, Botrytis grey mildew, and powdery mildew are fungal illnesses that may be handled with applicable fungicides like copper. In extreme circumstances, it’s possible you’ll must prune away affected foliage to curb the unfold.
Wholesome crops that obtain loads of daylight and usually are not under- or overwatered are the least prone to be affected by backyard pests and illnesses.
Greatest Makes use of for Weigela
Weigela is a flexible shrub with many makes use of within the house panorama.
Some to think about are:
- Border
- Basis Planting
- Hedging
- Blended Shrub Grouping
- Privateness Display
- Stand-Alone Specimen
Let’s brainstorm.
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 stop obstructing the trail. Interplant with companions as desired.
Set up basis plantings to extend curb enchantment by softening laborious brick and stone strains.
Let the bushes take an off-the-cuff, pure form or prune then formally for hedges to divide properties. Maintain them low and pleasant or excessive for privateness, as we do under.
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 engaging 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 could appeal to helpful pollinators, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Fast Reference Rising Information
| Plant Kind: | Woody shrub | Flower/Foliage Shade | Pink, purple, white, yellow/Burgundy, inexperienced, variegated |
| Native to: | China, Japan, Korea | Tolerance: | Clay soil, deer, reasonable salt |
| Hardiness (USDA Zone): | 4-8 | Upkeep: | Low |
| Bloom Time/Season: | Late spring, summer season, and fall | Soil Kind: | Common |
| Publicity: | Full solar to half shade | Soil pH: | 6.0-7.0 |
| Spacing: | 9 to 12 toes | Soil Drainage: | Properly-draining |
| Planting Depth: | Floor sow (seed), crown barely above soil stage | Attracts: | Butterflies, hummingbirds, pollinators |
| Top: | 6-10 toes | Companion Planting: | Bee balm, coneflower, dwarf decorative weeping cherry, Montauk daisy |
| Unfold: | 9-12 toes | Makes use of: | Border, basis planting, hedging, blended shrub grouping, privateness display, specimen |
| Progress Price: | Reasonable | Household: | Caprifoliaceae |
| Water Wants: | Reasonable | Genus: | Weigela |
| Frequent Pests and Illnesses: | Aphids, four-lined plant bugs, Japanese beetles, mealybugs, spider mites, scale; anthracnose, Botrytis grey mildew, powdery mildew | Species: | Coraeensis, decora, floribunda, florida, hortensis, japonica |
Why Not Weigela?
In the event you’re on the lookout for an easy-care flowering shrub that packs a robust early season punch, it’s time to introduce a number of low-maintenance weigela cultivars to your house panorama.
Within the 9 years I had the privilege of caring for weigela, I by no means had a pest or pathogen challenge and was rewarded with lots of deep pink blooms.
I can’t say it was a pollinator magnet, as the bees and different helpful bugs appeared to want my native bee balm, nevertheless it was sturdy, resilient, and reliable. What extra might I ask?
Do you develop weigela? Please share your ideas within the feedback part under.
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