Weigela

Outstanding deciduous shrubs that are related to Honeysuckles.

They love a semi shaded environment and display a range of foliages and flowers.  Full sun is tolerated too for most varieties.

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The flowers are seen from mid spring through to midsummer depending on the years weather and their location.

I would like to mention a few varieties for you to consider for your garden.

Variegated varieties such as Weigela florida Variegata has creamy margins to the edges of the leaves and superb pale pink flowers.  This variety will reach 6 feet plus given time.  The variety Weigela florida Nana Variegata is a more compact version of it. Another variety to look out for is Weigela praecox Variegata which has yellowy margins in the spring and the margins turn whiter during the summer.  Weigela Monet is a relatively new variety which seems to be compact in habit and the margined leaves have a pink tinge in the otherwise pale margins.  The flowers are reddish in bud and open pink.

Red or purple foliaged varieties such as Weigela florida Victoria are real winners.  This one has masses of reddish flowers on a compact plant, and a lovely plum coloured leaves.  Weigela florida Tango is a compact , purple leaved form.
In the green leaved forms of which there are many, it may well be worth looking out for a compact variety called Weigela Pink Poppet which produces a profusion of pink flowers.  For the back of a border then Weigela Newport Red is fairly upright in habit to over 6 ft and flowers well in red as the name would suggest.  Weigela middendorfiana is compact and will produce wonderful creamy yellow flowers with orange on the lower petals of each flower.  This form is better in a semi shade position.

Weigela looymansii Aurea is a favourite for the semi shade as it can get scorched in a too sunnier position.  The foliage is a limey gold and the flowers are bigger than average for Weigela and are pink predominantly.
There are a huge number of varieties that are not mentioned here and I hope that this article just gives you enough of an insight to go and get a variety or two for your garden which will only enhance it.  Good luck and feel free to enquire through Gardenerstalk any variety you are thinking of if I have not mentioned it already.