Weigela

History of Weigela Florida

A Scottish botanist named Robert Fortune introduced the plant to Europe. The common name Cardinal Bush as well as the scientific name Florida reflects the plant’s bright red flowers. Fortune named the plant Weigela after a German botanist.

During the Victorian era, gardeners raved about Weigela Florida due to its shape, bright flowers, hardiness throughout winter and dependability in seasonal growth.

Botanists at the time began hybridizing the plant to create variation in the species. Today gardeners can choose between 170 cultivars that produce trumpet shaped flowers in colors ranging from traditional red to white, pink and rose.

Varieties of Weigela Florida

In more recent times, gardeners have avoided using the Cardinal Bush. Some of these gardeners have stated that other than the showy spring display, the plant offered no visual interest in a garden.

To make the plant more exciting, some horticulturists have created hybrids with more interesting foliage.

Gardeners can now find varieties of Weigela with leaves in green, purple so dark it almost looks black, or variegated yellow.

For example, the Variegated Weigela (Weigela florida ‘Variegata’) grows to a height of 4 foot tall and has green leaves with yellow margins and pale pink flowers.

Variegata Nana is a dwarf variety of Variegata that grows to only 3 feet in height.

Some varieties of the plant even have two blooming seasons or bloom continuously from early summer until early fall.

Weigela cultivars also come in various sizes. Dwarf sized plants may only reach 18 inches in height. These plants are suitable for the front borders of gardens.

By contrast, some varieties of the shrub may grow as much as 10 feet in height and width.

Before planting Weigela, a gardener should find out the dimensions of the fully grown shrub to ensure that it will not crowd out surrounding plants or obstruct views of the garden bed in which they are planted.

Most varieties of Weigela are hardy from zones 4 through 8. In cooler zones the plants may experience tip dieback after extremely harsh winters.

The largest difficulty that gardeners find with Weigela is in choosing between the varieties. Some of the most popular varieties of Weigela include:

Candida – produces pure white buds and soft green leaves.

Minuet – grows to a height of 30 inches and produces ruby red flowers that have yellow throats and dark green leaves that have a purple tint.

Rabidor – has neon yellow leaves and red flowers; Red Prince, which grows to 6 feet in height and width and has repeating red blossoms.

Versicolor – a variety that grows up to 6 feet in height and width. Flower blossoms range in color from rose and pink to cream. The shrubs have green leaves.

Wine and Roses – grows up to 5 feet tall and wide. As the name implies, has wine colored leaves and rose colored flowers.

White Knight – grows between 5 and 6 feet in height and width. Has white flowers and green leaves.

Plant Care

To care for a Weigela Florida, select a species that is hardy to your zone. Plant it in an area that receives full sun or partial shade.

The plant will thrive if it receives morning sun and evening shade with at least 6 hours of sunlight daily.

The plant is not fussy when it comes to soil quality or water frequency. It will do best if planted in rich soil and given moderate amounts of water.