How to grow Weigela

Weigela florida · old-fashioned weigela

A dense, rounded deciduous shrub from northern China, Korea and Japan, covered in funnel-shaped rose-pink flowers in spring, often with a sparse repeat in summer. The flowers attract hummingbirds. Hardy, usually 1.5–3 m tall and as wide or wider.

Quick facts

Type	Shrub
Family	Caprifoliaceae
Light	Full sun
Frost	tolerates light frost
Where it grows	Open ground

When to plant

Planted as a young plant from a nursery while it is dormant — in early spring before the buds open, or in autumn after leaf fall.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Growth	every 7 days	—	—
Flowering	every 7 days	—	—
Winter rest	—	—	—

Growing notes

Light

Full sun gives the best flowers and leaf colour; it tolerates light or dappled shade.

Soil

Average, evenly moist, well-drained soil; it tolerates clay and acid to alkaline soils.

Care

Water regularly, about once a week in dry weather, until the shrub is established; after that, water only in drought. Use a slow-release shrub fertiliser only when needed. It blooms on last year's wood, so prune straight after flowering; on mature plants a few of the oldest stems can be removed in late winter.

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.