Oh thank you so much, especially for that quick reply. I was a bit disappointed that they do look so bear (considering our mild temps), but I bet they will be worth it in the spring - You keep yours in a pot? I may consider getting a couple more if these work out and try potting them also. Thanks for the great idea - Carrie

I can see why this would be alarming since "all your usual stuff" are all evergreens. Weigela is definitely a deciduous shrub and is meant to lose its leaves in winter. Part of the fun is watching the new foliage emerge every year!

Alarming also because I never researched the shrub and haphazardly planted them assuming somehow they were evergreens. They almost look like my hydrangeas and am looking forward to spring. You are right, I have always enjoyed watching new foliage of hydrangeas so weigelas are going to be fun too - Thanks - Carrie

You are a tad bit warmer than I am but the thrill of weigelas blooming in the spring/summer/fall is well worth the bare stems in winter. I have wine & roses, peppermint lace and the regular variegated. The envy on everyone's face when they walk by my yard & see them in their glory is worth every bare stem in winter. What a wonderful shrub!
Carol

You have convinced me to buy more! We have three acres and I am always looking for different shrubs (that flower)
Thanks - Carrie

Hummers like them too Carrie (my "Red Prince" attracted them to my spot in a hi-rise...lol)! Both of mine are potted (the other is "Wine and Roses") and the fact that they usually rebloom in fall makes them doubly nice.

Hi Carrie, I have several weigelas, including Wine & Roses. They are lovely shrubs, spectacular in spring and usually treat us to a second blooming in late summer. My 'Bristol Ruby' has grown quite large and requires aggressive pruning to keep it neat. Weigelas like a generous dose of manure or other organic matter in the spring. I agree with everyone else about the joy of watching it come to life in the spring. There's a new cultivar available called 'Midnight Wine' which is has dark purple-burgundy leaves and it only grows two feet tall, so you can include it in the perennial border.

I'm getting exciiiiiiited... very exciiiiiited - They sound easier than hydrangeas and while I love winter sowing lots of flowers, I am starting to get interested in more flowering shrubs. I definitely am going to buy more of these - Thanks for all the responses - Carrie

We are thinking of planting a Variegated Weigela right next to our pond, will it dump alot of flowers, leaves, etc. into the pond?

As always, any feedback is appreciated!

Any type of deciduous blooming shrub has potential to drop spent flowers and leaves in the pond. The leaves on a weigela are not very large and tend to dry on the stems and eventually blow away, so it's not really that "all-at-once" messy. The spent flowers might be to a degree but they seem to blow away too. Only thing is that if you are planting near a pond, you might want to consider a shrub that doesn't mind wet areas.

I love weiglea, I have a few in my garden. It always looks as though some of the branches are dead, they're so brown and bare, but then I see little green buds popping out of a dead looking branch. They are an easy care shrub. The only ones that just don't do much for me are the dwarf ones I have planted by some yews. I've had them for years, and they are still very, very small with little, if any bloom. I was tempted to pull them out this year, but since they are greening up, I decided to give them a reprieve. I don't remember the name of the variety, but they just haven't performed well, while my larger weigela's are basically neglected and thrive anyway.

I bought a Weigela bush from Springhill Nursey catalogue - it came the other day and its is tiny - maybe 3 inches tall. I put it in a bigger pot to grow some before planting in the ground (it's so small I'm afraid it will get stepped on!), but it doesn't seem to be doing very well - its looks kinda wilted (although it seems to have plenty of water and it was nicely moist when I got it in the mail)and the leaves seem to be browning. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what might be wrong and/or how to fix it?

Thanks.

rosehunter - Don't overwater your baby! What kind of soil did you use in the pot and how big is the pot? You want to make sure it is free-draining and doesn't stay soggy. You want to let it dry a bit before watering again.

I have a love/hate relationship with my red prince weigela. Every spring it looks positively dead, the branches snap easily & it's not grown in the 2 years I've had it. However when it blooms, it captures my heart again. Neighbors always stop to look at it. I'm hoping it will grow this summer since this is it's 3rd year here.

To the person thinking of planting weigela by the pond. Yes the spent flowers will drop off & litter. It doesn't bother me in the garden as it tends to blend with the mulch. I gues s it could make a little mess on the water. I never figured out how to deadhead them.

Jenny in se pa -

Thanks for the feedback. I will remember not to water too much; maybe that's the issue. It was pretty wet when I got it and, of course, I watered it again when I transplanted it!

I planted the "baby" in a pretty big pot (maybe 2 gallons) in a mixture of topsoil, peat moss and some compost. Should I try something else?

Thanks.

rosehunter - only other thing I would suggest is put some mulch on top. I use licorice root. I actually planted mine in container mix, but at this point, it is 11 years in that same container and is all roots. But the mulch breaks down over time and helps to throw some nutrients down through the roots eventually. I also put some 14-14-14 osmocote in there about every 3 - 4 months.

The one good thing about them in containers is that when they are thirsty, they will DEFINITELY let you know! The leaves will start to droop and wilt a bit. When you water after they do that and the leaves perk up again, then you'll know about how to gauge when to water again.

My Red Prince just started blooming yesterday and should probably be in full bloom next week. The Wine and Roses started blooming a wee bit earlier, although it's not quite fully out yet.

Hi gardeners! Someone mentioned pruning their weigela..I have 2 variegated weigelas in my front flowerbed and they don't look as beautiful as last year when they bloomed. Matter of fact, they've bloomed earlier this year and the blossoms are white instead of the usual soft pink. The branches are getting the growth but only at the top of the wood. Do I just prune it down to the ground after the blooming period? Or should I just let it go? I haven't found any good resources out there telling you the proper way of pruning a weigela so any advice would help!
Thanks!

Shell

Shell,

I was wondering the same thing so I googled it and came up with this.

- Prune out 1/2 to 1/3 of the older canes and let the new growth take over. It's like a 3 year cycle by doing it this way. Don't prune it like you would a boxwood.
- They say you can take them down to the ground and the will come back in a year or so as well but I would rther try the 1/3 rd method myself.

Hello... I just bought a bristol ruby weigela and am confused about where to plant it. I originally bought it for our flower garden in front of our house. My plan was to put it near the back as a background shrub. However, I read that it can get to 7 feet tall!? Should I plant it in the yard on its own?? Please give this newcomer some advice! Thanks,
Cortney

Some comments to add to all the good ones that have come before. It's a bad idea to ever pot any plant in a pot unless you use a "soil-less" medium. Top soil, manure, etc. are simply too heavy and the plants will suffocate in them. (learned this the hard way) So, if you are going to pot your weigela (or anything else) use a good quality potting soil.

Second, the comments on pruning 1/3 to 1/2 the canes of your Weigela each year is a great one. You cut the canes all the way to the ground. This is called renewal pruning and will keep your plant young and floriferous all the time. It will also help control the size of your plant to some degree. You should see new growth coming up from the roots each spring.

With regard to the size of a Weigela. The old varieties got about 4 to 6 feet tall and wide. But, the hybridizers have done alot to give us a very wide variety of not only foliage and flower colors, but also sizes. Some are so small, they can be planted in the front of a large border. Others get huge. Read the tag that comes with the plant and believe the sizes they give you. It doesn't matter how little and cute they are at the nursery. If you plant it in good soil and give it reasonable care it will eventually realize its full potential. You will ruin the form and sacrifice flowers if you try to keep weigelas sheared to a much smaller size than they want to be. (Never shear them with hedge clippers! You will reduce them to a pile of sticks.)

Finally, everyone else put in a plug for their favorites, and all of them are great. But, one of the older varieties is still one of the best for my money. That is Weigela Variegata. It's leaves are green with a golden edge on them, making it a major asset long after it blooms.

I have a Variegated Dwarf Weigela. I am concerned because it is May 4th, and I do not have any new growth (out of the dead wood). I have noticed a couple of "sprouts" from the ground which give me hope - but little. I am in northern Illinois. Any thoughts?

I have the exact same problem with my weigela's. It was a tough spring with lots of cold weather and frost. They started to bloom and then died back and now there's barely any growth at the base. I'm tempted to uproot them and toss them because they look dead but I'm not ready to give up on them yet. Is there anything I can do to save them or tell when it's time to give up?

I don't think anyone has mentioned how easy they are to grow from cuttings. The OP said they had 3 acres. They could easily bulk up their stock for nothing by taking cuttings.

Someone must be reading minds today....you mentioned the word "cuttings". Years ago (4-5), I rescued a "dead" plant from a nursery garbage pile....after asking one of the plantsmen...said if I could get to live I could have it. Well I stuck it in a pail of water with a very little bit if fish emulsion in it and got it to at least perk-up. planted it ..it got eaten by deer...dug it up and moved it with me from NY to NC...now it is 4 years later and it is doing wonderfully..even after all that trauma. First, I wish I could Identify it...it is varigated..a combination of sage grean and granny smith apple green with white pink tinged flowers that start out as pink buds. Second, it has on really long branch that I need to cut back...can I take cutting off this branch (more than one??)is it the right time?? should I wait?? Finally what kind of cuttings should I take? Sorry for so many questions, but the funny thing was I had just walked in from the garden thinking I needed to cut that one branch off and I was wondering if I could propagate it because I like it so much...and here you are.LOL...Thank every one so much before hand for any help and advice you can offer.

Janet

I live near Toronto, Ontario and I have 2 weigela. They were both coming along swimmingly, then suddenly one appeared to stop growing and some leaves are tinged with black. The other is growing like gangbusters. Yesterday I found that the one that wasn't doing so well had limp leaves on it as well. We did have some cold weather here, but I didn't think we got any frost. I'm at a loss. I won't be pulling it up since it still has leaves and time, but I'd hate to lose it. They both grew about 3 feet tall last year with hundreds of flowers on them.

Anyone have any ideas what might have happened to the sick one. They are planted about 10 feet apart, in a pool border bed. I don't think it got splashed with any pool water either...

I didn't get such a good deal on them, here they ones I got cost $20 ea.

The leaves may have gotten frosted a little where the "sick" one is - especially if it gets a different amount of sun (for whatever reason) than the other and may have had more tender foliage than the other if it leafed out a bit later (including if it is in a more open area as well, which allows for stronger radiational cooling). Frost can still affect tender foliage with temps in the 2°C -3°C (36°F - 37°F) range so it doesn't have to go as low as 0°C (32°F). Alternately, something might be impacting the roots of that one so you might want to check to see if anything is digging in the area.

Janet - just cut off your branch and any other bits you want to prune off. Trim into lengths, anything from 6 inches to a foot long and stick them in the ground in an out of the way corner. Don't let them dry out but don't baby them. Forget them until next spring. Not all will take but if you put in several a good proportion will. You can increase your chances with rooting powder, propagators etc but it really isn't necessary if you stick plenty in in the first place. Many common shrubs can be increased this way such as forsythia, abelia, kolkwitzia, lilac, hibiscus syriacus, ligustrums, buxus, ribes, willows, viburnums and even roses.

My friend has a variegated weigela and initially it looked great. Now, as fall approaches, it is lying flat and not looking shrub-like. The plant itself still looks healthy, it just lost its form. Anyone seen this before....

Which variety can I grow for the following space? I have two planting areas in a 35 foot, west-facing perennial bed that I'd like to plant two red weigelas in. The bed is just five feet deep so I need a smaller variety of weigela. I read that Bristol Ruby is more upright and doesn't grow as wide. Can you verify that for me?

I also read that Red Prince is a great variety and so is Wine 'n Roses, but I believe these two would get too big for my border. I'm growing Blue Spirea shrubs, also called Caryopteris, which has gray green foliage and fuzzy blue flowers. I think the foliage of Wine 'n Roses might look nice next to them. The flowers on W&R are rose pink and not the red I'd like.

I'd sure appreciate your thoughts.

I have a weigela red prince. I bought it last spring. It was up to my neck. Last summer it grew all over the place. Some branches are straight out on the ground. Some are straight out on the side & then they curved up. Some are just curvey all over the place. They grew 3-4 feet last year. They had lots of flowers & humming birds. I loved it! It just looks weird, what are the suppose to look like so I know how to prune them. I didn't know you could cut them off make more. Sounds like a ideal. Our back yard boarders the cemetary. They had a fence row of poison ivy growing I got rid of. I planted some things. I'm going to try them too. Thanks!

help. I am landscaping my yard, around my home, for the first time. I am using pink weigela with mock orange used in between, off set. Am I doing or using the wrong plants for this? Please email me at jerryfkimbrell@yahoo.com and let me know. I am located in Patterson,GA, near Waycross.

Mine didn't look good until the third year. I also didn't water as much in the third year as I had in the two prior, simply because gardening was new to me altogether.

I also do the renewal pruning - snipping off 1/3 of the branches at the base (not the top) - because after the third year it really took off and grew much larger (I have Wine and Roses). The blooms are beautiful.

I also deadhead the blooms, give a good dose of fertilizing, only to be rewarded with a second bloom later in the season.

I had to move it this year, while it was still dormant, so I hope it does as well as it did last year.

Good luck!

Last year I planted one wine and roses and two red prince. They all flowered well but very little hummer attention but I do have lots of other hummer plants. This year my red prince greened up really nicely but the wine and roses has some really scattered leaves even some stems that look dead. I will wait though for the final verdict.

No one is mentioning the "when" of pruning back the 1/3. Could someone please address that part?
And to the person who posted on how easy to prop by just snipping & sticking in the ground- thank you...will this work in Zone 5? We have a short growing season as it is, so wondering if 5ers would need to def use a rooting product?

Thanks for the help; my Red Prince has his red coat on right now, but he's looking a bit unruly since he's never been pruned.

Please, I've fallen in LOVE with Weigela and over the years have collected a few and have finally learned how and when to prune them ( I think). But in the mean time the first ones were not pruned properly and I've been trying to play catch up and need your advise.

First, I have a dwarf Minuet that is 4 years old and it only bloomed it's 2nd year, so I don't know what or how severely to prune in order to get it blooming again !?!

Then my Wine n Roses were purchased in '05 and bloom just barely now and while the plants as a whole look great, I'm beginning to wonder if a severe heading back is my only recourse i.e. starting over ... and if so, when would be the least traumatic for them !?!

I'm very excited to find a group of fellow Weigela-lovers and am encouraged by reading your dialog in this forum. So I will say Thank you ahead of time. Thank you!

I had a Weigela Wine n Roses that did not do well at all on a sunny well-drained bank. Hardly ever bloomed and struggled even with foliage. I moved it to against the garage wall where it only gets morning sun (9-1) and has better soil. I moved it in the fall of '09. There wasn't much to it. I probably pruned it to shape it. Last year it didn't do much, but this year it is full and blooming nicely.

Is it normal for a weiglia to lose its leaves overnight ? I had a red prince bush which I pruned in late autumn once it stopped flowering - now it looks as if it's dead. I think a frosty night may have done it in on me.

I have another bush that had a similar thing happen to it and half the bush died it is a marrow rose - just hoping the same hasn't happened. I'm not used to gardening and haphazardly guessed how much to prune off the bush.

The frost will have killed the leaves for this season, and is the reason they all died at once. Some shrubs have frost-tolerant leaves, but Weigela don't. These are deciduous shrubs, so it is normal for them to lose their leaves when it gets cold. They should push out new leaves in the spring.

Pruning in fall is not usually recommended as well. Pruning actually stimulates a plant to produce more growth if done before full dormancy sets in. Any growth that is produced that late in the season will not have had time to ripen or harden off sufficiently before cold weather sets in and can be overly prone to cold damage. Better to wait until after a deciduous shrub has lost all it leaves before pruning or with evergreens, just before growth begins in spring.

if its a rather new transplant.. and it has die back in spring.. its a planting or transplanting issue .. i wonder about this.. since you dont seem to mention what it did last year ...

yes its possible... to drop all leaves on one day ... on ANY plant ... depending on how traumatic the temp change was ... i have seen it happen on larch ... box elder ... all kinds of things...

a shock is a shock ....but it should not make any difference on next spring ...

but a long extreme cold winter could ...

ken

Thank you everyone for your help I was just panicing thinking I'd managed to kill a plant I love off- I have a habit of doing that. Even plants like Lavender and Heather have passed out on me which is supposed to be impossible to do. you've all given me hope that it hasn't passed out on me yet. Maria

Ken it's at least 5 years old usually acts as tough as old boots and flower's like a lunatic. it hadn't been transplanted - that would definitely do it in and it's bad enough to have me looking after it. I am a terrible gardener and 50% of shrubs I plant don't last. I don't think the leaves came off as much last year i was just amazed it happened overnight this year but, it did go from really sunny to freezing cold. just hoping there's no snow as I live in the Mournes and when it snows here it's deep. thanks for the advice. Maria

"just hoping there's no snow" Snow won't be a problem for Weigelas. Where I live we get anywhere from a few inches to more than 10 feet over the course of a winter and my Weigelas sail right through regardless. The only winter issues I have is when the rodents munch on them under the snow, and they don't seem to be a favorite winter food.

I have 2 huge weigela bushes that must be 18 years old. Always bloom. However we had a terribly cold and snowy winter in Iowa and the bushes really look dead. Do you think they will come out of it.

welcome to the forums jan ...

with 18 year old plants.. not much in the way of weather is going to kill them ... especially the huge old root mass ...

so though they might have taken some above ground damage.. and need some pruning after they bud out ... i suspect they will be back ...

even if they die to the ground.. with no insult to the root mass.. you might be surprised how fast they can regrow ...

but.. you might lose this years bloom..

give them a month or 2 longer.. to see how and where they bud out.. and then we can go from there ... [you dont mention where you are???]

i suggest you take some pix then.. and start your own post.. with the pix.. and we can opine from there ...

ken

As Ken said, the roots as well as any branches below the snow are likely to be alive since snow is a great insulator. Even when it got to below -20 by a few degrees here, mine still bloomed and suffered no dieback, so unless yours was out of the snow a lot or you got below -20F, I wouldn’t be concerned..

I don't know what your timeline is, but here in New England, weigela are late to leaf out and the branches look damn ugly for a long time while everything else is waking up. At my old house I moved some to a less prominent location because of that. I never had any winter kill on mine.