How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Weigela

Weigela is a beautiful deciduous shrub that comes in a variety of colors, both in its foliage, and flowers. The foliage colors include dark green leaves, bright green leaves, dark purple leaves, and even variegated foliage. 

Some of the most popular weigela flower colors include bright pink flowers, red flowers, and white flowers although they can also produce yellow, purple, orange, rose pink flowers, and magenta blooms. It makes a great addition to any landscape along borders or pathways or as foundation plantings near your home. 

Given proper growing conditions, pink, red, or white weigela blooms create an attractive background for any garden as its green foliage is covered in flowers for the first half of the growing season. These shrubs are virtually carefree and low maintenance, and grow happily in garden ground or in containers. 

However, they require regular pruning. Choose your planting site carefully. They will tolerate partial shade exposure, but if you put it them in an area that receives full sun, you’ll be rewarded with rosy pink flowers from early spring through late spring into early summer. 

Once established, growing weigela is a breeze. Dwarf varieties can be grown in containers if you don’t wish to dedicate an area of your landscape permanently to this shrub. One thing is for sure, weigela blooms create a habitat for pollinators (like hummingbirds) and an eye-catching border or background for your garden, whether you choose bright pink flowers or variegated foliage. 

What is Weigela?

Weigela is sometimes referred to as rose weigela because its flowers resemble wild roses. Weigela florida is in the honeysuckle family. Like many in this family, it attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.

Native Area

Weigela is a perennial that originated in East Asia, specifically China, Japan, Korea, and surrounds. It grows best in USDA hardiness zones 4-9. Weigela florida was named after the German botanist Christian Ehrenfried Weigel. The “florida” species refers not to the state of Florida, but rather to the plentiful flowers that this shrub produces as “florid” means flowery or showy. 

Characteristics

Their blooms appear in a garden in spring and summer, sitting atop tall woody stems with stark foliage. When fall arrives, the blooms die back and emerge in the following spring and early summer. 

Weigela is not considered to be toxic to people or pets. It is deer-resistant and relatively pest-free. The flowers have an incredible scent described as floral and very sweet. Planting weigela is sure to attract lovely hummingbirds to your garden as well.

Varieties

This lovely planting is considered one of the proven winners you’ll find in the nursery. Look for this sign to determine which are the hardiest varieties. Most shops carry ‘Red Prince’ weigela in containers along with those that grow pink and white flowers in spring. 

The varieties seem endless. ‘Wine Roses’ is named for its deep red flowers that look like a glass of red wine. ‘Red Prince’, is known for its lipstick-red flowers, which offer a pop of color against its dark green leaves. 

Now let’s discuss some tips for growing this shrub.  

Planting

Before planting weigela, choose a location with well-draining soil and full sun. Dig a hole twice as wide and deep as the root ball, loosening the surrounding soil to encourage root growth. Place in the hole so that the top of the root ball is level with the ground, then backfill with soil, gently firming it around the roots.

Water thoroughly after planting and apply a layer of mulch to retain moisture and keep weeds down.

How to Grow

Growing and caring for weigela in your garden is easy. When you choose a location with adequate sun, regular watering, and annual pruning, you’ll enjoy the spring bloom of these proven winners for years to come. Here are some tips.

Light

To get the most pink blooms, weigela should be planted in an area that receives full sun, or six to eight hours of sun per day. It tolerates part shade. Shaded shrubs, however, may produce fewer flowers. 

Weigela care is similar to that needed for lilac bushes. It thrives in zones with a cold winter and temperate summer. Dormancy in winter is needed to store energy, for the buds to mature, and then bloom in the spring. 

Water

Weigela florida shrubs need regular watering, especially when they are getting established. In the first few weeks after planting, keep the roots moist but not waterlogged. Once they are established, water with an inch every 10 days. Place a hose at the base and avoid wetting the foliage when watering. 

Once the foliage drops and the shrub goes dormant in winter, watering is no longer necessary. If you grow weigela in full sun, it may need water more often in early summer or late spring as temperatures rise. 

Soil

They grow best in moist, well-drained soil. However, it is known for its ability to tolerate poor soil conditions. It can survive in sandy, silty, and clay soil types. It even can survive a wide range of pH conditions from acidic (pH 3.6) to neutral (pH 7). 

In fact, this shrub can be propagated via cuttings planted directly into the sand. More on that later! If you choose, fill containers with average garden soil. 

Temperature

They do best in a garden in zones 4-9. In warmer climates, they don’t receive the chill hours that they need. When growing in colder climates, extreme winter weather conditions can kill it. 

In its ideal growing zones there is no protection needed during the winter, although a frost cloth can be used to protect the green foliage or variegated foliage if temperatures dip down below 20°F (-7°C) for an extended period. 

Fertilizing

There are two good options for fertilizing, although it doesn’t need any fertilizer. You can fertilize in the spring after the last frost date, but before measurable new leaves have appeared. A well-balanced granular fertilizing agent applied around the base of the shrub and watered in works best. The second option is to fertilize in late winter using the same method. 

Fertilizing in late winter encourages new growth and pink weigela blooms to appear earlier in the spring rather than in late spring. 

Maintenance

Pruning weigela is the most important task when it comes to growing weigela. The overall health also hinges on this task. It requires annual pruning because of its fast growth rate. Weigela dies back in the winter, which can kill older canes. Remove any old dead or dying wood to make way for spurts of growth in the late winter or early spring. Deadhead the pink flowers after they’ve bloomed in the late spring to get a second flush in the summer. 

Note that weigela blooms on old wood, so only remove wood that is dead or damaged, otherwise you run the risk of removing next year’s flower buds. If you’re pruning for overall shaping, then it’s best to prune right after the weigela blooms have finished so that you have a visual reference of the spent blooms, which will indicate the wood that will be producing flowers for next year. 

Propagation

Weigela florida can be propagated via cuttings. Take a cutting from the green newer growth on a growing weigela rather than from old woody stems in late spring or fall. Place cuttings directly into sand and mist with water once a day. Roots will begin to appear at about one to two weeks. Rooting hormone powder can help speed the process but is not necessary. 

Portions can also be dug up, divided, and replanted in the same way the original shrub was transplanted. After the blooms are spent at the end of the season each spent bloom will produce seed pods. You can harvest these seeds and propagate it this way as well, although this takes much longer, and tiny seedlings need much more care and attention than cuttings. 

Common Problems

This is a low-maintenance tough and hardy shrub. Growing weigela is relatively trouble-free, but there are a few potential issues to note. Overall, you’ll find it’s care is easy.  

Growing Problems

Common growing problems are generally related to the above-mentioned weigela care requirements not being met. A lack of blossoms, poor growth, foliage yellowing, or leaf browning could be a sign of an environmental issue. Less flowers and poor growth may indicate that your shrub is not receiving enough sunlight in the garden site. 

Weigela can tolerate light shade but will produce the most stunning blooms when given full sun. Leaf yellowing is generally an indicator of a nutrient deficiency, and it may be time to consider adding fertilizer.

The most common growing problem with new shrubs is either over or under-watering. Leaf browning can be a sign of these issues. Feel the top few inches of the soil to determine which one is causing the problem. In the case of overwatering, cease watering until the top few inches of the soil are completely dried out, and make sure that your garden soil is well-draining. 

In the case of underwatering, make sure to add your shrub to a watering schedule or timed automatic watering system, especially if they experience burnt leaves in late summer. 

Pests

Aphids are the most common pest issue. An aphid infestation that’s allowed to go unchecked increases the threat of aphid-borne viruses. The majority of plant viruses are spread by insects, and if an aphid feeds on an infected shrub, it may move on to a healthy one and then spread the disease further. If you see leaf curling or notice them congregating, that’s a sign it’s time to treat for aphids. 

Some beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings will happily consume aphids, especially if you provide them with good habitat and overwintering sites (as will be provided by your shrub). Still, aphids can multiply at an alarming rate. If you see aphids beginning to appear in the landscape, use a blast of water to knock them off. If they keep popping up, then consider a foliar spray of insecticidal soap, neem oil, or prune the most infected leaves and dispose of them entirely.  

Diseases

Gray mold, which is caused by the fungus botrytis cinerea, appears as a blight. Gray mold affects the flower petals and will appear as brown lesions on each bloom and greatly reduce the amount of attractive flowers. Remove infected material and be sure to burn it. Burning is the recommended disposal method to avoid spreading gray mold to healthy ones in your landscape. Make sure to clean your pruners after removing infected wood tips.

Fungal diseases such as wood rot fungus only occur on material that is already dead or dying. For this reason, prune dead wood each year as a preventative measure. It can appear as a fuzzy growth, or mushrooms may appear. There is no cure as it only affects wood that is already dead and dying. Removal of the shrub may be necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions