Weigela white. Weigela garden in the flowerbed: planting and care. How to buy seedlings of flowering weigela French Lace Brigella in the Siberian Garden nursery

Weigela - profusely and brightly flowering shrubs. It is named after the German scientist K.E. Weigel. The plant belongs to the honeysuckle family. Its homeland is the island of Java, east and southeast Asia. You can meet weigela on moist soils in light forests and on sunny lawns. Due to its beauty and unpretentious nature, it is used to decorate parks, gardens and home gardens. With a small species diversity amount ornamental varieties the most unusual palette is very large.

Botanical characteristics

Weigela is a deciduous shrub with erect woody stems. It is fed by a branched rhizome without horizontal processes (stolons), so the shrub does not capture the adjacent territory and remains compact. The stems are covered with brown cracking bark. They branch more from the base. Simple petiolate leaves grow oppositely. They have an oval shape with serrate sides and a pointed edge.

Weigela blooms twice a year: at the end of May and in August. Flowering lasts about a month. Buds are formed on young green and lignified last year's branches. Individual flowers or small dense brushes of 2-6 buds appear in the axils of the leaves. Their pedicels are very short or absent altogether.

Corolla correct form consists of five ovoid petals with a pointed edge. They are painted in shades of white, yellow, pink, dark red or purple. Often, over time, the color becomes lighter or more saturated. At the base, the petals form a wide tube. 5 stamens with linear anthers and a small column of ovary with a capitate stigma peep out of it. The length of the open flower reaches 5 cm.

After pollination, small bivalve boxes with hard woody edges are formed. They are ovoid or oval in shape with a narrowed nose. Inside there are many small angular seeds, occasionally winged.

Types and varieties of weigela

In total, 15 species are combined in the genus Weigela. Of these, about 7 are used in culture. But the varietal diversity knows no boundaries and is constantly updated with new samples.

A slender deciduous shrub grows to a height of 1-1.5 m. It has good frost resistance and actively grows and blooms even in the shade. The plant has ascending shoots. Bright green leaves are pubescent along the veins. In May and September, flowers bloom with a diameter of 3-4 cm. They are collected at the ends of young shoots in dense brushes of 2-6 buds and delight with their beauty for 25-30 days. Bright yellow corollas are covered with orange spots and specks.

A large shrub (up to 3 m in height) is covered with ovate dark green leaves with short petioles. The foliage has finely serrated edges and a sparse pile along the central vein. Bright pink bell-shaped flowers are collected in loose inflorescences of 3-4 buds. They appear in May and last up to 20 days. Varieties:

Weigela red - a dense bush up to 1.5 m in height grows dark brown-red leaves, and by mid-June blooms flowers with rich pink petals and a yellow center;
Nana purpurea - a dwarf copy of the previous variety;
Weigela pink - a sprawling bush blooms small flowers. Outside, the petals are painted in pink-carmine color, and inside they are light, almost white;
Variegata - frost-resistant, elegant variety 2-2.5 m high blooms with small (up to 3.5 cm) bright pink flowers;
Minor black is a dwarf, slow-growing shrub with dark green, reddish leaves throughout the summer covered with dark pink flowers 25 mm in diameter;
Alexandra - a spherical shrub with a diameter of 1-1.5 m is covered with medium-sized burgundy or dark purple oval foliage, in the first half of summer it blooms red-pink bells up to 4 cm in diameter.

A bush with a dense crown grows up to 150 cm tall. It bears beautiful tubular flowers with delicate aroma. The color is dominated by white, pink, lilac, purple tones. Varieties:

Bristol Ruby - at a height of 2.5 m, the diameter of the shrub reaches 3.5 m. Bright green leaves grow on the branches, and tubular flowers appear by the end of June. The rose petals have a ruby border and an orange spot at the base.
Red Prince - a sprawling bush up to 1.5 m high consists of drooping shoots with green leaves. Its flowers are bright red and large.
Eva Rathke - a compact shrub 50-60 cm high in June-August is covered with glossy tubular flowers of carmine-red color.
Nana variegata is a compact weigela with crimson or white-pink flowers, collected in brushes of 3-4 buds.
Cardinal is a large plant with abundant snow-white flowering.
Weigela red-leaved - shiny olive leaves in the center have a reddish spot.
Carnival - a bush 50-70 cm high with bright green oval leaves in June-July blooms tubular purple-red flowers.

Reproduction methods

For propagation, weigels use seeds or cuttings. For sowing, seeds up to 1 year old should be taken. This method is suitable for the reproduction of species plants, since varietal characteristics are easily split. Crops can be carried out immediately in open ground in autumn or in early spring in pots with loose fertile soil. When friendly shoots with two leaves appear, they dive and thin out. After a year, the plants will grow to a height of 6-7 cm and will have 6-8 leaves. It is important to ensure that the plantings are not too thick, otherwise the rhizomes will tangle. From the second year, weigela can be planted in open ground. For young plants, protection from winter frosts is most important. At the age of two, the seedling will grow to 40-50 cm tall, and it will begin to bloom from 4 years old.

For propagation of weigels by cuttings, green semi-lignified shoots are used. They are cut in the summer. Each branch must have 2 nodes. After cutting, the leaves are removed or shortened by 30-50%. For 1-2 hours, the cuttings are placed in the usual warm water and then treated with a root-forming compound (heteroauxin) for 12 hours. At this stage, they are kept in a dark place with a temperature of +20…+25°C. Then the cuttings are planted in sandy-peat soil. From above, the soil is sprinkled with a layer of river sand and the plantings are covered with a film for the greenhouse effect. Watering is carried out twice a day. Usually all planting material takes root.

For planting lignified cuttings, they are cut in April, before bud break. The length of the branches is 15-20 cm. After processing with Kornevin, the cuttings are planted in pots with sand and soddy soil. They are covered with foil. Rooting takes place within a few weeks, but with less efficiency. A month later, the sprouts are pinched, and later they are fed with an organic or mineral composition (mullein, superphosphate, ammonium nitrate). The grown plants are planted in the garden.

Landing and location

Weigele pick up a well-lit, closed place. From drafts and cold gusts of wind, the buds fall off without blooming. The soil should be loose, fertile and sufficiently moist. These can be loams and sandy loams with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction. Only Weigela Middendorf adapts well to slightly acidic peat soils.

In the garden, it is better to select plants over the age of 3 years. Planting is carried out in early spring, before bud break. When planted in autumn, weigela sometimes does not have time to adapt and dies in a frosty winter. For planting, pits are prepared with a depth of 30-40 cm. A drainage layer of gravel or shards is laid out on the bottom. The free space is filled with earth with the addition of compost and nitrophoska (up to 100 g per bush).

In group plantings, the distance depends on the height of a particular variety. It ranges from 80 cm to 1.5-2 m. The rhizome is carefully laid out and compacted. root collar should be on the surface or deepened by 1-2 cm. Upon completion landing work carry out abundant watering and mulch the surface of the soil.

Features of care

Weigela is unpretentious, caring for her will not be too burdensome. Plants are watered only when prolonged absence precipitation and on very hot days. Weed the area periodically and remove weeds. This must be done with care, as root system located close to the surface.

After a transplant with top dressing for two years, the weigela is not fertilized. Then, in the spring, a portion of mineral fertilizer (ammofoska, diammofoska) is applied. At the beginning of summer, during the budding period, the bushes are watered with a solution of potassium sulfate or superphosphate. During autumn digging, they bring in the near-stem circle wood ash(200 g/m²) or Kemira.

To maintain the attractiveness of the weigele, you need regular pruning. In the spring they carry out sanitary cleaning. Remove broken and frozen branches. In summer, the crown is thinned and shaped. At summer pruning remove only part of the branches, because re-bloom is due to young growth. Once every 3-4 years, the bushes must be rejuvenated. To do this, remove up to 30% of the branches. They are cut down to the ground. Sometimes they practice complete cutting of the bush. You should not worry about the renewal of the crown, weigela perfectly tolerates any kind of haircuts.

In autumn, weigela is prepared for wintering. After leaf fall, the near-stem circle is sprinkled with earth and mulched. The crown of heat-loving plants is tied with twine and covered with non-woven material or roofing material. The structure is fixed, and fallen leaves are covered from above. In winter, it is recommended to trample down the snow near the roots so that rodents do not damage the shoots.

Weigela is usually resistant to plant diseases. If the place chosen for it is too shady and damp, it may develop gray rot, rust or mottling. To cope with the fungus helps "Topsin" or Bordeaux mixture(mixture of lime with blue vitriol). Preventive treatment is carried out before bud break.

Use in the garden

Weigela bushes are used in group and single plantings in open areas of the lawn, along the curb, at the entrance to the garden or at home. They are also used for zoning, decoration alpine slides or an exquisite garden in Japanese style. Weigela can be combined with other shrubs such as barberry, cotoneaster, spirea, cypress.

Weigela, it is impossible to forget this beauty. Unusual inflorescences, reminiscent of bells, only huge, its compactness makes it exquisite and in demand.

Description and features of weigela

Weigela shrub very popular among flower growers because of the decorative crown. If you choose the right place, the plant will delight in flowering long time. Moreover, such a miracle in some varieties can be seen twice in a season.

In the photo weigela is red

The first flowering can be seen in spring, the second - in autumn. The height of a perennial bush can vary from 0.6 to 3 meters. It all depends on varieties wagers and kind.

The buds are tubular-bell-shaped in various colors. It can be pink, scarlet, lilac, yellow shades. The leaves are emerald green, oval in shape and elongated with sharp tips. Slightly curved on the outside.

Planting and breeding weigela

Weigela will bestow lush bloom, if you select a consecrated area, but without the north winds. The soil is preferably fertile, loose.

Blooming delicate pink weigela

At planting weigela, choose a step up to 2 meters, and leave the basal neck on the top of the ground. Grow weigela in open field can be vegetatively and seeds.

Weigela propagation by cuttings:

1. Cuttings can be used green and lignified. But with the second option, flowering should be expected up to 5 years.

2. Planting material is being prepared spring, weigela at this point should not lay the kidneys.

3. Green shoots are cut off from the crown with a straight cut, 15 cm long.

4. Remove all but two leaves from the cutting.

5. Treat the cut with a growth stimulator and leave the branch for 12 hours in a dark and warm (20 degrees C) place.

6. Mix peat and sand in equal parts.

7. Deepen the cuttings half a centimeter into the substrate and cover the containers with a jar. To create a favorable microclimate.

8. Periodically ventilate and water the cuttings.

9. After a month and a half, rooting will come.

10. It should be grown for 1.5 years. Only then planted in open ground.

11. The appearance of new shoots will be a signal for pinching them. The procedure stimulates tillering.

Weigela white

Layering:

1. Lay the side shoot, which is close to the ground, in a groove prepared in advance.

2. Pin the branch and sprinkle with earth.

3. Top part the escape must remain outdoors.

4. Rooting will come next spring.

5. In order for rooting to be more successful, the bark of the branch that will be in the ground should be broken.

6. Grow layering up to 3 years, only then send it to a permanent place.

Weigela reproduction seeds:

1. planting material remains viable for up to 2 years.

2. Sow prepared seeds in open ground in autumn.

3. Shoots will appear in the spring.

4. Pull the seedlings, leaving the strongest and strongest specimens.

5. Grow at school up to 2 years.

6. After the time has elapsed, plant the bushes in a permanent place.

In the photo weigela blooming

Weigela care

To have bushes with a lush crown, some requirements must be met:

Water regularly. give Special attention irrigation in the spring, if the winter was snowless and many shoots were frozen.

Loosen the soil after irrigation. Mulching with sawdust can be a good alternative. The soil retains moisture well and does not allow weeds to break through.

In early spring when there is still snow on the ground, the first top dressing is carried out mineral fertilizers. Before the buds are tied, repeat the top dressing. Last time fertilizer should be applied in the fall. This time, phosphorus and potassium should be present in the composition.

Formative pruning weigela carry out after the summer flowering ends, 1 time in 2 years. It is on the growing shoots that new autumn flowering buds will appear. Be sure to spend in the spring sanitary pruning. During the procedures, frozen, dry shoots are removed. It is worth recalling that branches are cut to healthy tissue. After 3-4 years, crown rejuvenation should be carried out. At the same time, branches are removed for 3 parts of the entire bush.

Bushes are perennial and do not need to be transplanted. In one place they grow up to 10 years.

AT weigela care young specimens for wintering should be covered with spruce branches. In adult bushes, shoots can be tied and bent to the ground. They have amazing ability. They recover well after winter, even if the shoots are frozen.

Weigela early

Types and varieties of weigela

The Honeysuckle family, to which weigela belongs, is estimated at 15 species. Of these, three varieties can be found in the open spaces, to be quite precise, in the south of the Far East. In the wild, weigela lives in the South and East of Asia, China.

The most popular types and varieties of weigela

In the photo weigela variegated. It cannot be confused with other varieties. Since a feature is considered light green leaves oval, framed by a border along the edge of the sheet with a sharp tip.

If you look at the bush from afar, it seems to be full of multi-colored shades. The shape of the inflorescences, like most varieties in the form of huge ones with various shades, sit on short peduncles.

In the photo weigela hybrid

Weigela blooming. Among his brothers, he can be called a giant. Since its maximum growth is up to 3 meters. When grown in full sun, the color of the leaves is variegated.

Penumbra turns them into green tint. Weigela blooming can be used as hedge. When planting for her, it is worth considering the step between seedlings - 1.5 m. If the bush is grown as ornamental plant, step 2.5 m.

In nature, weigela can be found in Japan, Northern China. Flowering begins in May and lasts 2 months. It grows well in partial shade on slightly acidic soil with moderate moisture. Does not tolerate stagnant water. In order for the bushes to bloom magnificently, strong thickening should not be allowed.

Weigela nana. medium tall, stretches up to 90 cm in length. The variety is frost-resistant, therefore it has perfectly taken root in the Western European climate.Inflorescences-bells up to 4 cm in diameter have a soft pink tint with white tints.

Weigela nana

The bush loves warmth and does not withstand northern winds. Only a quiet sunny, slightly shaded place without winds will give you the opportunity to open up in full glory. Favorably grows in slightly alkaline and acidic soil.

Pruning should be carried out sanitary in the spring, then the shoots will not keep you waiting and will grow with maximum strength.Landscape designers do not miss the opportunity to use in hedges and in single plantings.

Weigela bristol, ruby (Bristol Ruby). the giant stretches up to 3 meters and sprawling up to 2 meters in girth. It opens well if the soil is nutritious with moderate moisture.

In the photo weigela bristol

The culture is grown even in the cold regions of Russia, as it is considered a frost-resistant variety. Even a slight freezing of shoots in snowless winters ends with a quick recovery of the plant. Only after winter, all frozen branches should be cut to living tissue. Covering with spruce branches will help prevent freezing of branches.

Weigela ruby with large carmine-red bells. Inflorescences are collected in umbrellas. Buds grow only on last year's shoots. Flowering repeats twice per season.

Weigela ruby

The first time in spring and the second time in autumn. The last bloom, of course, is not as plentiful as the first time. It can be stimulated timely pruning after the first bloom.

Weigela variegata(Variegata). Inflorescences of small diameter (3 cm) are collected in panicles and shade the bush with a lilac tint with a white overflow.

Weigela variegata

The leaves of the plant are up to 5 cm long, green. On the outer edge, a white edging is barely noticeable.A medium-sized bush is popular among flower growers, as it is unpretentious in care, frost-resistant, and tolerates dry weather well.

Weigela red. The bright and rich colors of the shrub have made it especially popular among landscape designers.

Weigela hybrid. in the form of a compact bush 1.5 meters in length and a chic crown will be the pride of any garden.

Bell buds can be lilac, white, pink, purple, red. Inflorescences are collected in a loose rosette and emit a unique aroma. It differs from its counterparts in that the flowers release young shoots.

A derivative of the appearance of the variety are several representatives: abundantly flowering, Korean, flowering, garden weigela.The improved characteristics of the shrub, unlike its parents, have made it especially popular and most in demand among gardeners.

Weigela purpurea seedling

Weigela purpurea. Deciduous shrub stretches only 1 meter. Therefore, its compact forms are widely used in landscape design. The crown is densely strewn with bell buds, which makes it look elegant and festive.

The oval-shaped leaves are slightly narrowed at the end, changing their color during growth. When they are born, they Brown color with red notes. Then, they acquire the usual green tint.

Weigela Alexandra

The bush reveals itself in all its glory with well-drained and fertile soil. In hot weather, it requires abundant watering in the evening.Flowering takes place in one approach, from June until frost.

Weigela red prince. bred by American breeders. The size of the shrub is 1.5x1.2 meters, where 1.5 is the height, 1.2 is the width. It has a wild success for its decorative effect, rapid growth, unpretentiousness.

Weigela Prince

The leaves are oval with a sharp tip. Inflorescences of a blood-red hue give the bush a special charm, sophistication and contrast favorably with the background of the leaves.

Weigela Prince offers to admire exquisite flowers twice a season. The first time at the end of spring, the second - in the fall (September). Inflorescences grow on last year's shoots. Therefore, after summer flowering, it is imperative to prune. Lush flowering can only be expected in sunny areas.

The prince does not like waterlogged soils, but feels good on loose, well-drained soil. For single landings, a step of up to 2 meters should be maintained. Do not forget about the basal neck when planting, it should not be buried under the ground.

Weigel Middendorf

Weigel Middendorf. The bush is suitable for stony soils. Since natural specimens grow along rocky placers, along streams and rivers.

Large bell-shaped shrub. The inner part of the flower is a yellow hue, gently shimmers with white hues on the outside.

Flowering and seed formation takes place twice a season. The compact growth of 1.5 meters allows it to be used in landscape design for single and group plantings.

Diseases and pests of weigela

Weigela susceptible to the following pests:

Aphid. Insects in the form of small midges attack the plant. At the same time, they not only drink the life-giving juice of the leaves, they are also carriers of fungal diseases.

Symptoms: leaves become covered like sweet syrup, curl, fall off. The sticky surface subsequently attracts ants. There is one pattern, if ants appeared, then aphids should be expected and vice versa.

Fighting: at an early stage, you can try insects mechanically. To do this, turn on the water and buy under the shower. Use the help of ladybugs.

Sparrows also actively fight pests. To attract them, you need to put feeders, drinkers in the garden. If the infection is severe, treat the bushes with insecticides.

Defeat weigela aphids

The larvae of the May beetle, Medvedka are often brought directly with compost or humus. It is necessary to carefully inspect the fertilizer before laying it in the planting hole. Treating the soil with insecticides before planting will also help prevent their reproduction.

Spider mites, thrips. more often affected by pests in hot weather. In order to prevent infection, it is good to treat with insecticidal tinctures on wormwood, garlic, hot pepper.

Fusarium can be noted among weigela diseases, powdery mildew. To prevent their disease, it is worth remembering agricultural technology. It is good to carry out preventive treatments in the spring. And also avoid crowded landings. To do this, remove the shoots growing inside in time, do sanitary pruning, rejuvenation.

When weigela blooms for the first time at the end of spring, it already brings an unforgettable experience, and the second August flowering of this plant is generally perceived as a small miracle. Look how good weigela is in the next photo. Its large, bell-shaped flowers gradually gain their color. This is how a photograph appears, gradually gaining brightness and saturation of colors.

Blooming weigela, hybrid Eva Rathke

The first flowers on the weigela shrub appear in spring, on annual shoots that have grown over autumn. The second late summer color is formed on the green cuttings of the current year.

This feature of the double flowering of the plant also affects the planting of weigela and caring for it in the open field. Flowering and appearance bush from properly pruned and crowned, which will be discussed below in a separate chapter.

Biological features

Weigela belongs to the honeysuckle family. It comes from the eastern South-East Asia, some of its species in the wild are found in our Far East. This erect shrub has large funnel-shaped buds up to five centimeters long, they resemble bells in shape.

The plant is light-loving, so it grows best in well-lit places. Despite deciduousness and winter hardiness, weigela is relatively thermophilic, does not like northern and northwestern winds, and in some areas requires shelter for the winter.

Weigela prefers neutral soils, only some species are able to grow on slightly acidic peatlands.

In Europe, the shrub appeared only in the 19th century, and got its name from the German biologist and chemist, professor of botany Christian Ehrenfried von Weigel. This name was given to the plant at the turn of the century by a friend of von Weigel, the Swedish botanist Carl Peter Thunberg, an expert wildlife East Asia and one of the correspondents of the famous Carl Linnaeus.

Species, varieties and hybrids

Weigela species, varieties and hybrids differ according to various criteria. We list the most common and popular in our country and neighboring countries.

early or pleasant

The homeland of the weigela early or pleasant (Weigela praecox) is the Far East. A two-meter bush with pubescent feathers blooms at the end of May from ten to thirty days. The flowers are bright pink, they are articulated in inflorescences of two or three pieces. The yawning part of the flowers can be yellowish or white-yellow.

Pleasant or early weigela

Middendorf

Weigela Middendorffiana (Weigela middendorffiana) is also of Far Eastern origin. This species can grow on slightly acidic soils. A bush with upward shoots reaches a height of half a meter. Blooms tender yellow with an orange center twice a season. The term of both flowering reaches thirty days.

This type of weigela belongs to winter-hardy varieties, so it winters well in the middle lane without any shelter.

Weigel Middendorf

blooming

Weigela blooming (Weigela Florida) is a species of shrubs with leaves that do not fall even in winter, they reach almost three meters in height.

Weigela blooming

Among the varieties of this species, there are such forms as:

Weigela purple, iliweigela red (Weigela Purpurea) - one and a half meter plant with a dense crown. Its leaves are red-brown, and the flowers are a rich pink color with a yellowish center. This variety of weigela blooms in June-July.
Weigela Nana Purpurea (Nana Purpurea) is an analogue of purple, only its size is two times smaller.
Albatozhe is a dwarf undersized weigela with white flowers, which gradually become pink when withering;
Variegata is a very elegant variety with small leaves and pink buds, which are collected in small bright brushes. The most frost-resistant of the varieties.
Weigela Victoria (Weigela florida Victoria) is a short, about one meter tall plant with dark red flowers and brownish-red leaves.
Weigela Alexander has dark, almost black leaves and pink buds.
Weigela pink (Weigela florida Bunge) has flowers of a pink-carmine hue on the outside of the petals and a pale pink throat. The variety blooms in May.

Pink or profusely flowering weigela

Weigela Korean

Weigela Korean (Weigela Coraeensis) is a low plant up to one and a half meters with small bells collected in inflorescences. The color changes gradually from white to pink, flowering for two weeks in early June. Leaves are light green.

Korean weigela

hybrid

Weigela hybrid (Weigela hybrida) can bloom white and purple, red and purple, yellow or pink, depending on its hybridization. All hybrids reach a height of one and a half to three meters and have a spreading crown.

Weigela reproduction

Reproduction of weigela is possible by seeds or green cuttings. The seed path is long and difficult, but this way you can get new varieties, for example, by mail and then cultivate on your site.

Under the bushes in the spring you can see a lot of overgrowth, these are weigela seeds that have sprouted in the fall. These seedlings can also be used, but in hybrid forms, the offspring will not always have parental characteristics.

If you want to sow seeds collected from bushes or purchased elsewhere, then this can be done at the time of sowing vegetables, for example, with tomatoes in early March. Pots covered with foil are kept in a warm place with a temperature of 22-25 degrees for up to three weeks, after which, when shoots appear, they are taken out to a bright windowsill.

When the plants reach 10-15 centimeters in height, they are planted in a garden bed for growing. And in a permanent place, seedlings are best planted in the spring of next year.

However, it is best to propagate weigela using cuttings. At the same time, the seedlings are strong, and when planted next season in a permanent place, they can even bloom.

It is best to propagate weigela with green cuttings, which should be cut in June. After processing the cuttings with a solution of a root formation stimulator, the survival rate of such cuttings is more than 80 percent.

Propagation by lignified cuttings gives the worst results. Such cuttings can be cut in the spring from overwintered last year's growths or in the fall from the shoots of the current season. In the second case, the cuttings are stored in the refrigerator, and rooting work is carried out in May-April next year.

Planting seedlings

Seedlings are planted in the spring after the soil warms up, but before the start of abundant sap flow. For planting, weigels choose elevated areas protected from cold winds.

Nutrient soil mixed with river sand for better aeration of the roots. The distance between pairs of weigela plants should not be less than one and a half meters.

After planting, the soil under the bushes must be well mulched to keep the soil from drying out. It is not recommended to loosen the ground under the weigela because of the danger of damaging its surface roots.

Bush care

Growing weigela requires the observance of some important agricultural practices, without which high performance cannot be achieved:

top dressing and watering;
trimmings;
mulching;
shelter for the winter.

The first feeding is done at the beginning of the season. How to feed weigela in spring? It is best to dilute chicken manure (1:20) or mullein (1:5), then mix with herbal infusion and water the bushes abundantly after the ground has thawed. After that, carry out mulching to a height of at least ten centimeters with last year's fallen leaves, straw or hay.

The following dressings should be carried out with herbal infusion, depending on the condition of the bushes. Watering is combined with top dressing, the frequency of depends on weather conditions in other words, on the amount of precipitation.

The most important measure for the care of weigela is pruning. There are three types of pruning for this shrub:

Sanitary pruning of weigela in the spring. During this period, all branches frozen and broken off during the winter are removed, and unnecessary shoots are cut out.
Formative cutting. It is carried out in the summer after the end of the first flowering. Cut off the growth branches of the current year, on which autumn flowering will occur.
Rejuvenating pruning. It is held every two or three years. Unnecessary old skeletal branches that are more than three years old are removed. The remaining branches are cut to a third of the length for more branching.

At the end of the story about weigel, watch an interesting video:

Alexandra's weigela bushes do not stretch above two meters. They grow slowly, adding about 10 cm per year. The leaves of this variety have a specific burgundy-green color. Against a dark background of foliage, red bell-shaped inflorescences stand out brightly.

Advice! Combining several plants of the same species, you can create a wonderful group planting. B. blooming looks great on its own, if you salt it next to the door to the house or gate.

Weigel Middendorf

The features of the Middendorf weigela are yellow bluebell flowers, foliage that does not turn yellow until October and two flowering periods per year. You can grow such a shrub separately or in a company.

Advice! In nature, V. Middendorf grows in forests, so on garden plot will look good surrounded by other bushes and rarely planted trees .

Weigela early

Very lush, plentiful flowering shrub. It is perhaps the most decorative of all types. Flowers - violet- red, bloom for 10-30 days. bright green in summer the leaves turn yellow in September. Due to the dense crown, brown and gray branches are practically invisible.

Advice! Weigela early is not too frost-resistant, it requires shelter. If the winters in your area are severe, it is better to choose a different type.

Weigela hybrid

In an effort to create the most suitable for natural conditions middle lane shape, breeders combined different types weigels, choosing their best qualities. So, hybrid shrubs have dense foliage and lush flowering, and the range of shades of buds is quite wide: purple, pink, violet, white and carmine flowers delight not only with their beauty, but also with their magnificent aroma.

Weigela hybrid includes several forms, the most famous of which is Bristol Ruby. This is a fairly tall (up to 3 m) shrub with long bright green leaves. Ruby red with orange In the middle, weigela ruby flowers bloom in June.

By choosing suitable look, you need to decide how and when to plant weigela.

Planting weigela is not marked by particular difficulties. You just need to find a good place and properly arrange the landing hole.

Preparing for landing

When choosing a landing site, consider the following weigela preferences:

Solar light. In the shade, this heat-loving plant will not bloom at full strength;
No draft. The wind ruffles the leaves and inflorescences of the weigela too much, which negatively affects the development of the plant and its appearance;
Moisture. The ground should be moist, but not swampy. Stagnation of water at the roots is not allowed;
Priming. Weigela grows best in fertile, non-acidic, loose soils.

Advice! If the soil in your garden is different hyperacidity, spend liming before planting weigela.

As for seedlings, it is better to choose three-year-old samples. They are easier to accept and grow faster.

Landing

Weigela planting is carried out in early spring. autumn planting will not give good results, because the seedling will not have time to take root before the cold weather.

Pits 50 * 50 cm for tall bushes are dug at a distance of at least 2 m. For low varieties, a smaller gap is acceptable. 15 cm from the bottom of the hole should be occupied by drainage, designed to protect the roots from rotting. For this purpose, gravel or broken brick .

Advice! If the soil is loamy, add sand to the drainage.

The soil mixture for weigela is usually composed of turf, sand and humus (2/2/1). As a fertilizer, potassium salt (40 g per well) and superphosphate (60 g per well) are used.

Advice! If the winter is harsh in your area, create a small hut for the bush by installing supports around it and tightening them with lutrasil or spunbond. Fill the place inside such a shelter with dry foliage.

It is important to ensure that there is no snow on the shelter, otherwise the young shoots may be damaged.

pruning

Dry and frostbitten weigela branches are pruned annually. Do such a sanitary pruning in May. After flowering, formative pruning is carried out, which promotes re-blooming.

Once every 2-3 years, a more thorough, rejuvenating pruning of the weigela is carried out, during which the branches that strongly thicken the bush are removed.

Diseases and pests

The main enemy of weigela is aphids and caterpillars that gnaw on leaves. The main danger is damage to the roots. If the bush has stopped growing, and its leaves have turned yellow and drooped, carry out preventive watering of the soil with insecticides. It is possible that when planting, along with the compost, bears or larvae of the May beetle got into the pit. At the first suspicions, add the appropriate preparations to the soil (Medvetoks is well suited).

When proper fit weigela successfully resists diseases. By periodically treating the bushes with fungicides, you will protect them from bacterial diseases.

As you can see, planting and care, pruning and propagation of weigela are simple procedures. By doing them consistently, you will achieve amazing results.

Ornamental shrub weigela (Weigela) from the hydrangea family is a frequent guest of backyard gardens. Its branches, densely strewn with pink (rarely white) flowers, retain their decorative effect even after flowering. Due to the ease of maintenance garden shrub weigela gained wide popularity. The main thing is not to forget to prune the plant from time to time to maintain a compact shape.

Pruning is carried out once every 2-3 years, removing old shoots. Best time pruning - immediately after flowering. Young shoots can be shortened by 1/2 length. Such pruning promotes the growth in thickness of the main shoots and makes them more stable.

For the winter, after leaf fall, the bushes are tied and bent to the ground. In winters with little snow, varieties are covered with spruce branches, lutrasil.

Types of weigela shrub in the garden (with photo)

Weigel Middendorf (IV. middendorffiana)

In this type of weigela shrub, the flowers are single or collected in 2-6 pieces in inflorescences, bell-shaped, funnel-shaped, sulfur-yellow with orange spots and dots on the lower lobes. It blooms twice a year, in spring, in the first decade of May, and in autumn. The duration of flowering in Moscow is 25-30 days.

Due to the ability to bloom repeatedly, from early August to the first autumn frosts at the end of September, the seeds ripen in two terms: in September and October.

As can be seen in the photo, in the weigela shrub of this species, the autumn color of the leaves appears in early October:

Weigela early (W. praecox)

Beautiful flowering shrub 1.5-2 m tall. The crown is almost spherical, sprawling in old age. Flowers drooping, solitary or collected in 2-3 pieces on shortened lateral shoots of the current year, funnel-bell-shaped, bright pink outside, purple-red in buds, sometimes white with yellowness. Flowering time: from late May to June.

The duration of flowering is 10-30 days, on average - 15 days. Autumn leaf color is noticeable from the end of September. Due to the undemanding to environmental conditions, easy care, decorative weigela, the early weigel became the most popular among other weigels.

Weigela garden (W.hortensis)

It is a shrub up to 1 m tall. Autumn leaf color appears in October. The flowers look like bells, 3-4 pieces per inflorescence, develop at the ends of the shoots and in the axils of the leaves, pinkish-carmine. Mass flowering of garden weigela in Moscow has been observed since the third decade of May and, gradually fading, continues until early July.

Pay attention to the photo - the ornamental weigel shrub of this species also has a form with white flowers:

Weigela blooming (W. florida)

Shrub up to 3 m tall, crown diameter 3.5 m. Flowers are large, tubular, 2.5-3 cm long, dark pink at the edges and pale pink or white inside, darken when flowering. They are collected in 3-4 pieces in small inflorescences, which are located on short side shoots. Flowering time: third decade of May - early June. Flowering time is about 20 days. This shrub grows very fast. The most interesting are the following forms: Purple, or "Purpurea" ("Purpurea").

As shown in the photo, this species of weigela has dark pink flowers with a yellow center, contrasting beautifully with the leaves:

Blooms in June-July. White, or "Alba" ("Alba"), - with white flowers, turning pink when flowering, dwarf form.

Weigela profusely flowering (W.floribunda)

Shrub height up to 3 m. Flowers sessile, dark red, later light pink, up to 3 cm in diameter. Blooms in May-June, 2-3 weeks. It grows quickly, but is less winter-hardy than flowering weigela. Gracefully curved branches and bright pink or red flowers adorn this shrub.

See how beautiful all types of weigela are in the garden in the photo below:

Varieties of ornamental shrub weigela hybrid and their photos

Here you will find a photo and description of hybrid weigela varieties.

Weigela hybrid (W. x hybrida) has a graceful spreading crown and luxurious flowering. Shrub up to 1.5 m tall. It is especially beautiful during flowering. The flowers are tubular-funnel-shaped, solitary or collected in a loose inflorescence. They bloom on young leafy shoots. They are pink, purple, white, pinkish-violet and violet-carmine of various shades, have a delicate, pleasant aroma. The following varieties are popular in Russia:

"Bristol Ruby" ("Bristol Ruby"). The height of the bushes is 2.5-3 m, the crown diameter is up to 3.5 m. The description of this variety of weigela fully corresponds to the name: the flowers of this shrub are ruby-red along the edges, sometimes with an orange-red center. Blooms in June-July.

"Gustav Malle" ("Gustave Mallet"). Shrub up to 2.5 m tall. It has large (up to 5 cm in diameter) pink-carmine flowers with a wide white border. Blooms at the end of May.

"Debussy" ("Des-boisii"). Shrub 2.5-3 m tall. Blooms profusely in the second half of May.

"Alba Plena" ("Alba Plena") - short evergreen shrub height 20-40 cm, crown diameter 40-45 cm.

Pay attention to the photo - in this variety of a hybrid species of weigela, the crown is compact, spherical, the flowers are white, terry:

Decorative effect is manifested during abundant and prolonged flowering, in August-September, 50 days. Winter-hardy. It is better to cover young plants for the winter with a dry leaf and spruce branches "Allegro" ("Allegro") - height 40-50 cm, rarely 60 cm, crown diameter 50 cm. The crown is compact, dense. Blooms in Moscow from early August to late September. The flowers are simple, shiny, carmine-red. Winter-hardy.

"Annemarie" (Annemarie) - height 40-50 cm, crown diameter 60 cm. The crown is loose, broadly bushy. Blooms from late July to late October. The buds are purple-red, later the flowers turn dark pink. Terry flowers.

"Boscope" ("Boskoop") - height 30-40 cm, crown diameter 40-50 cm. The crown is compact. Leaves are copper-orange-red in autumn and winter. Blooms from August 25 to the end of September. The flowers are purple-pink, simple.

"Carmen" (Carmen) - height 30-40 cm, crown diameter 40-50 cm. This variety of weigela of a hybrid type has a wide-oval or spherical crown. Blooms in Moscow from early September to mid-October, 45 days. The flowers are simple, pink-purple.

"Darkness" ("Darkness")- height 30-35 cm, diameter of a compact, dense, spherical crown 40-50 cm. It blooms from the end to a bush or 1 m2. It is allowed to feed with mullein from April to June (0.5 l of solution per bush).