Old Fashioned Weiglea

Weigela florida (wy-GEE-la FLOR-id-ah)

Family: Caprifoliaceae Non-native Shrub (3-15 ft)

Weigela is in the Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle) family and is native to North China, Korea, and Japan. The epithet, florida, means "floriferous." This plant is a dense, rounded, deciduous shrub with somewhat coarse branches that tend to arch toward the ground as the shrub reaches maturity. For approximately two weeks, in each mid-to late spring, after the leaves emerge, showy, rosy-colored tubular flowers cover the shrub and have a repeat, though sparser, performance in mid to late summer. Plant this shrub in the full sun to light shade or dappled sunlight, though the best flowering and foliage color will occur in full sun. Weigela typically grows from 6 to 10 feet tall and 9 to 12 feet wide; however, cultivars tend to be smaller. When mature, older interior branches can be removed in late winter to improve the plant's vigor and blooms the following year. This plant blooms on old wood, therefore, pruning is best done just after flowering as flowers appear on last season's wood. If not pruned, branches will form a fountain-like outline which is highly ornamental while covered with blooms, but over time it can take on a weedier appearance. Prune if necessary to help maintain the plant's size and shape. In the United States and North America, this shrub is used in the landscape as a foundation plant, in a mass planting, or on a shrub border. Many of the dwarf cultivars can be grown as container plants. Weigela is air pollution and clay soil tolerant and is lightly salt tolerant. Cultivars available include variegated leaf forms and many anthocyanin-hued (red, blue, or purple) flowers as well as a yellow-flowered cultivar. Seasons of Interest: Bloom: Spring and Summer Foliage: Spring, Summer, and Fall Quick ID Stems of new growth have 2 vertical rows of white 'hair' Axillary tubular-campanulate flowers after leaves Deciduous shrub with opposite, ovate, acuminate leaf Stipular scars encircle stems Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems : Minimal insect and disease damage. It may be damaged by deer. May experience winter dieback. VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 62 attributes.