Weigela is a shrub with a height of 30 cm to 3 m. The bush is distinguished by its ascending shoots. The foliage of the plant has a bright green color. The leaves have an unusual pubescence on both sides, located on the veins. There are a great many varieties of this plant. This flowering shrub is quite unpretentious, it can grow even on rocky and infertile soils, although it grows better on well-moistened, loose and fertile lands. In the wild, this plant is found in the Ussuri region, North Korea and China.
Weigela is a shrub with large, unusual, very beautiful, drooping, tubular flowers. They can be single, but there are also collected in inflorescences of several pieces on one peduncle. A feature of this shrub is that it can bloom twice a year, namely in spring and early autumn. It is also noteworthy in that the flowering period of the shrub is very long - up to a month, therefore, after planting a weigel, you can enjoy its flowering for a long time. The color of the flowers is very unusual. So, in one flower several shades of color can be combined. Most often they are painted in pink or red, with the inclusion of a variety of shades, but there are other varieties of weigels that have white, lilac and yellow flowers. The flowers of this shrub have an amazing smell, which spreads for many meters during flowering.
Weigela is a shrub that looks great in any plantings, both in single and in group. Even a faded bush looks very decorative, because it has a spreading and powerful crown with beautiful leaves. Often, weigela is grown as hedges.
Some varieties of weigels have a large crown, the height of which can reach 3 m and up to 4 m in diameter, therefore, placing them in plantings with other plants, the characteristics of each variety should be taken into account. There are also shrubs with leaves painted not only in green, but also in brown. Some varieties have green leaves with white spots. All of them are very decorative and look great in group plantings.
Weigela Nana Variegata is a dwarf shrub variety that differs from others in its white-variegated leaves. Flowers of this variety are white-pink or raspberry colored. They are collected in elegant inflorescences, in which there can be up to 4 pieces of flowers. The peculiarity of this variety of Weigela is that it grows very slowly. It is recommended for cultivation on alpine hills and in rocky gardens.
Weigel variety Bristol Ruby is very beautiful, the height of which reaches 3 m, and the width usually does not exceed 2 m in diameter. This is a powerful, sprawling shrub with shoots hanging very beautifully. The buds are dark red in color, and the blossoming flowers are bright ruby (hence the name of the variety). The shrub has a dense crown, bright green leaves that fall only in late autumn. This variety tolerates frosts pretty well, but still it is better to cover it for the winter. It grows well in light areas and tolerates partial shade. The best soil is fertile, well moistened. After flowering, like any other weigel, shrubs require pruning.
Growing different varieties of weigels in your garden, you can achieve a varied and long flowering. When planting these bushes, it should be borne in mind that the plant loves good lighting, although there are shade-tolerant varieties. Weigela tolerates frosts pretty well, but in the northern regions of the country it is better to use winter shelters. To do this, the shrub is tied and pressed to the ground if possible, after which it is covered with various heaters (lapnik, reed, lutrasil, spanbond).