Weigela: Incoporating this Hardy Flowering Shrub into Your Flower Beds

From eastern Asia into our Midwestern landscapes, weigela add significant late spring color to my flower beds. Weigela is a deciduous, upright shrub that flowers profusely in many different colors. The picture on the left is of Weigela florida variegata. I have four of these beauties. The flowers are bourne along the entire branch and once it is done flowering, the cream and green colored foliage stands on its own. This shrub does extremely well with our ever changing weather conditions. The foliage always looks great and there's very little, if any, winter damage incurred. I have yet to have one fail to bloom. In fact, it's just the opposite. I am always amazed at how these shrubs bulk up with blooms. Weigela comes in many colors including pink, red, white, and yellow and are hardy up to zone 4.



Weigela are extremely attractive to hummingbirds and bumble bees. As soon as the weigela in my gardens start to bloom, I am surrounded by the constant hum of the bumbles. These hardy shrubs do well in full sun and will tolerate some shade.

(pictured at left: weigela florida dwarf minuet)


Some varieties will flower twice, once in the spring and then again in late summer although I don't think the late summer flowering is as profuse as in the late spring. Weigela florida Pink Princess and Weigela florida Red Prince, pictured below, are two such types.











I have all four of the varieties mentioned in my garden but there are over 12 species of weigela to choose from. Most can be easily found at your local nursery or big box stores. I think weigela is worth investigating if you are looking for shrubs to fill out large flower beds. They will not disappoint.