Wonderful Weigelas for Every Landscape

Spilled Wine – Wine & Roses – Sonic Bloom – Snippet Dark Pink – Variegated – French Lace – My Monet – Czechmark Trilogy – Wings of Fire – My Monet ’Sunset’

Weigelas are a favorite garden stable. Older varieties put on a beautiful early summer flowering show then fade into the background as Summer progresses. Weigelas are very undemanding. They all seem to be fairly drought tolerant once established, easy to grow and most seem to be unpalatable to deer. Newer introductions can carry the season of interest through Summer and beyond. These desirable varieties are stunning garden work- horses. There are weigelas to fit into every garden.

Newer varieties offer compact growth, repeat blooming, colorful foliage and a variety of flower colors.

Spilled Wine Weigela was the 2018 Landscaping shrub of the year. Spilled Wine holds its lovely plum color with green veins all summer and doesn’t “green out” as many purple varieties do. Instead summer heat seems to intensify and darken the plum color. Unlike some rangy weigelas, Spilled Wine maintains a dwarf and low spreading graceful form, only growing 2 to 3 ft tall. Wider than tall. It provides season long color in and out of bloom. I’m excited to be able to offer this variety and even more excited to plant more in my own gardens. I’m planting a front of the border grouping at the base of my Double Knock Out roses. I also plan to incorporate them in my new conifer garden. They will really pop at the base of my powder blue ‘Blue Surprise’ Port Orford cedar. Bright magenta pink flowers look lovely against the rich, purple leaves. When happy she can re-bloom late-Spring through Fall! You can’t go wrong with this wonderful landscape shrub. Spilled Wine Weigela is perfectly suited for front of the border, but for a larger version try ‘Wine and Roses’ weigela.

Wine and Roses Weigela can reach 6 ft. Like ‘Spilled Wine’ its dark purple foliage looks lovely all Summer. In Spring it blooms heavily with pink trumpets that contrast beautifully with the dark foliage, then lightly reblooms sporadically throughout the Summer.

Sonic Bloom Weigela series takes blooming to another level. I’m so impressed with this bloom machine! I have Sonic Bloom pink and it blooms from Mid-Spring though frost! Not just a random bloom here and there, but full bloom… very impressive.

If blooms are your thing, I promise you won’t be disappointed with the bloominess of this garden performer. This is a large Weigela, so plan for future growth when you plant it. This is a weigela worth the space. As I’m waiting for large plants to grow into their space, I often plant annuals or other plants I plan to move later. Sonic Bloom can reach 5ft. tall with large arching stems that can reach 8 ft or more. I’m so anxious to see a mature Sonic Bloom in full glory. Sonic Bloom is available in 3 flower colors; pink, red, and pearl. Pink is said to be the heaviest blooming of the 3. Deciduous.

Snippet Dark Pink Weigela
This Dwarf reblooming selection is wonderfully suited for front of the border. Consider this when you’d like to design with a smaller version of’ Sonic Bloom’ Weigela. ‘Snippet Dark Pink’ offers a richer, dark pink flower than other dwarf Weigelas like ‘Pink Poppet’ or “Minuet”. It’s said to have a nice rebloom through the Summer, set against crisp dark green foliage. Its heaviest bloom is in Spring then it reblooms Summer- Fall. I don’t have this one in my display garden yet, so I can’t speak to how heavy the rebloom is. At only 1′-2′ Ft tall and wide it could easily be tucked in along with perennials in a flower border.

Florida Variegated Weigela is simply one of the best variegated shrubs available. It looks lovely in and out of bloom. Variegated weigela, looks fabulous in front of a darker green background to highlight the creamy variegation. It has soft pink flowers that seamlessly blend into the color scheme of any garden. I’m also impressed with the long-lasting fall foliage of Variegated weigela. The leaves turn shades of red, yellow and orange for multi-season appeal. In the right place in the landscape it simply glows. This is a medium sized shrub at 4-6 ft. It was a recipient of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit.

French Lace Weigela is another full sized variegated weigela like Variegated, but has apple green leaves with striking lime-yellow leaf margins. The bright lime color acts as a dramatic backdrop for the deep crimson-red flowers. Like Variegated , its foliage takes on red and orange colors for a fall display. The main difference between the two is that ‘French Lace’ has brighter more bold yellow green variegation and much more boldly colored flowers. In contrast, Variegated has more subtle foliage and light flowers with only a hint of pink.

My Monet Weigela cloaks herself in trumpet shaped clear pink flowers from early Summer and sporadically all season. Her green and white variegated foliage adds lovely highlight to the garden all season. It’s the 1st dwarf variegated Weigela to be introduced. My Monet is an excellent choice where Variegata or French Lace weigelas would be too big. At 18 inches tall it’s perfectly wonderful planted in drifts in front of the border, used as an edging plant or in containers. Wherever you decide to place her she’s sure to soften, brighten and charm her way into your heart.

In my landscape I choose to soften and brighten the base of my fairy pink roses. The bright variegation is a nice contrast to the green rose foliage and softens the base of the roses. The pink early season flowers take center stage before my fairy pinks bloom. A lovely combination with the blues of a catmint close by.

My Monet can handle a bit of shade, but still likes lots of sun. The variegated foliage is brighter with some shade. Full Sun brings out some pink in the leaves. Foliage may scorch in hot afternoon sun. The design opportunities are endless with ‘My Monet’ Weigela. My Monet is a multiple award winner and she’s certainly a winner for me.

photo courtesy of: Proven Winners

Czechmark Trilogy Weigela offers profuse blooms displaying 3 colors at once. This new weigela lights up the landscape with extra-large white, pink, and red flowers creating a dazzling Spring display. Flowers begin white, transition to pink and then to red resulting in profuse blooms of all 3 colors at once… Stunning. Its glossy apple green foliage can serve as a screen or backdrop for later blooming plants. This heavily blooming Weigela is an excellent landscape shrub. We are all truly thankful for the wonderful breeding efforts from the Czech Republic bringing us so many fine new choices for our landscapes. This is a compact- mid size Weigela at 3′-4′ Tall and wide.

WEIGELA FLORIDA ‘WINGS OF FIRE’
This versatile Spring blooming shrub displays lavender blooms against fantastic foliage that emerges lime green, then quickly takes on a bronze hue. In Summer the foliage takes on orange- red hues and continues to intensify till the whole bush is glowing a brilliant red and orange. The leaves seem to hold on into late Winter. An excellent alternative to Burning Bush. Wings of Fire is a medium sized shrub that can make a big impact and help you to create a lovely color palette. 4’ tall and wide.

My Monet ’Sunset’ A smaller version of this to consider would be My Monet ’Sunset’ which only gets 2 ft tall and wide.Dwarf, upright, mounded habit creates a wonderful accent in a border, garden bed or large containers. It can produce a few rosy- pink flowers in Spring, but it’s primarily planted for its ever changing foliage of apple green, bright pink and golden yellow in Summer. In Fall it takes on very warm tones of red and orange. Zone 5-8 Full sun part- shade. Foliage may burn in scorching afternoon sun. This weigela can take a bit more shade than most, but best color will be seen with more sun.

With so many wonderful choices…how will you compose your landscape canvas?

Author: Stephanie Beach
One Earth Botanical