I spoke to my local nursery man. They raise their own Weigela 'Wine & Roses' shrubs. Last summer was the hottest and driest summer in SC Kansas on record. It was worse than in the Dust Bowl days. The nursery man said that he had his young Weigela 'Wine & Rose' shrubs in pots in the full sun. (Pots tend to dry out faster than in-ground plants.) Anyway, he said that he didn't observe any scorching on any of his Weigela 'Wine & Roses', nor did he see any scorching on any of the other Weigela 'Wine & Roses' shrubs in the area. Basically, I can't assume what happens to the Weigela 'Wine & Roses' shrubs in Florida, Oregon, Iowa, NE Kansas, or any other geographical area is what will also happen to the Weigela 'Wine & Roses' shrubs here in SC Kansas since it is a different climate. And, prairiegirlz5, thanks for the information from your observations. I appreciate it.

angelom1972, A bit more info would be helpful in answering your questions. Where are you located? Is the weigla W&R newly planted? How frequently are you watering? What exposure? Any signs of insects? In general, the shrub is quite tolerant of dry conditions. Like any new planting though...if it just went in the ground & hasn't had time to get its roots down then you'll need to keep the soil moist (not saturated). Dig down 2-4" in the soil next to the shrub. Is it moist? If not, water. The branches that haven't leafed out yet have probably winter killed. It's getting quite late even for weigela to leaf out. Prune back to live wood & they will quickly regrow. /tricia

Abillus, I just purchased a 3gal Weigela Wine & Roses from Lowes because of the gorgeous foliage. I have never seen one in flower, only pictures. I suspect the balcony we have here at the apartment doesn't meet its sun requirement, but it will soon be at the house where there is plenty. Christie, I love clematis, and am growing a Petit Fauchon in a pot on a teutor on my balcony. This is its second year and it is perfect for a small situation, only about 30" high and narrow. I would like to try one of the larger clematis. It will have plenty of space, if you have a suggestion. Thank you for the link to the VA gardening forum.

jerry, depending on the variety of barberry you choose, it will get from about 2 1/2 feet to 4 feet high and wide. Read the tag on the plant at the nursery to know the specifics of the shrub you choose. Your barberry will like full sun best, but they will tolerate a half day of shade too. They're not picky about soil or moisture, which makes them very easy to grow here in the deep south. And yes, they are reasonably easy to root from cuttings taken in February. They are, however, quite slow growing. I'd advise you to buy nursery stock. If you are just beginning your landscape plans, I would suggest you make a list of plants you want to grow, with at least 1/3 to 1/2 of them being evergreens. We have so many wonderful broadleaved evergreens available to us here in the south that it's not hard at all. Use barberries as color accents, not as the foundation of your plantings, since they lose all their leaves in the winter. That being said, both the purples and the gorgeous golden leaved "Aurea" are some of my favorite plants. Here in the south, our choices for colored leaf plants are far fewer than further north. Purple leaves tend to fade in our intense sun to a muddy brown color that doesn't show well at all (they look like a black holes in a group). Golden leaves often scorch very badly in our sun. Not so barberries. They look fresh all summer. Granted, the thorns are somewhat problematic. I try to keep them away from paths and other places where they can snag me. I do not shear them, as I like their graceful open habit. Growing them naturally also means I don't have to deal with the thorns very often at all, really only when I need to remove a dead branch here and there. I keep a pair of heavy leather gloves handy for such times.