Variegated Weigela is a hardy shrub, and it grows quickly and vigorously. Combined with its pink blooms and green and gold leaves, that feature makes it a perfect fit along front and back borders.
Variegated weigela is very easy to care for, and we recommend watering the plant regularly and otherwise not disturbing it. This makes weigela an ideal shrub for beginners and any gardener who wants good-looking shrubbery but can’t find a lot of extra time to devote to caring for their plants.
What is Variegated Weigela?
The botanical name of this plant, weigela, honors a German researcher of the same name, Christian Ehrenfried Weigel. The Florida component refers to the abundance of blooms that the plant bears rather than the state of Florida. Variegated weigela is everything but basic.
Many useful pollinators, including native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, are drawn to variegated weigela. Weigela is a Honeysuckle that produces a lot more nectar while in bloom. These deciduous bushes will look great in a Cottage Garden or a more modern Urban Wildlife Garden.
What Are The Varieties Of Variegated Weigela?
In early spring, these sun-loving plants grow trumpet-shaped blooms on arched branches, creating a colorful paradise that attracts bees, hummingbirds, insects, and butterflies.
Here are the types of varieties of weigela;
1.The Golden Jackpot’s Weigela
In the spring, Golden Jackpot’ has dazzling yellow foliage like gold, covered in dark rose-colored blossoms. This weigela is renowned for its leaves, adding color to the spring garden through frost. It can reach 6 feet in height and has a comparable spread.
2. Rose’ Wine’ Weigela
This Wine and Rose variety of shrubs is your best option if you’re looking for one with eye-catching blossoms. This variety’s multi-colored foliage is most attractive during the blooming season. The beauty of these plants would radiate from a sparse-appearing wine and rose variety.
Both in containers and as ground covers, they can be grown. To enhance the aesthetic appeal of their homes, growers typically propagate them with other flowering plants. Regular pruning is necessary to keep this cultivar in the grower’s chosen shape.
3. Crimson Kisses
Vibrant lipstick-red blooms with white centers appear throughout the growing season.
The lipstick-red blossoms that give ‘Crimson Kisses’ its name in the early spring are just the beginning, though. This cultivar periodically blooms throughout the summer, preserving the landscape’s vibrancy. This little shrub has a comparable spread and reaches a height of 3 feet.
4. Dark Pink Snippet Weigela
In the early spring, it produces stunning pink blooms on the vivid green, mounding foliage. This cultivar is a great option for extending color within the garden because it re-blooms intermittently throughout the summer and into the fall. It spreads similarly and only develops to heights of 1 to 2 feet.
5. Monet Sunset Weigela
This variety, also known as My Money Sunset, is well known for its gorgeous foliage. Although its distinct hot pink petals are quite lovely, its foliage frequently captures the attention of gardeners.
Another factor making the leaf so popular is its oval shape, which has a white outline and a green core, but both hues might vary. The leaves can have many green hues, from light lime green to deep forest green, or they might turn darker yellow or orange.
The name “Sunset” is derived from this color spectrum because the hues meld together to create a stunning sunset.
6, Snippet Dark Pink
A naturally small shrub that flowers all season. Dimensions: 1′ to 2′ tall and wide. In the early spring, Snippet Dark Pink produces stunning pink blossoms on deep green, mounding leaves, but it doesn’t end there. This cultivar is a great option for extending color in the garden because it re-blooms intermittently throughout the summer and into the fall. It spreads out similarly and only develops to heights of 1 to 2 feet.
7. Sunny Side Up’ Weigela, Czechmark
This weigela, Czechmark Sunny Side Up, stands out in the spring garden with its white flowers and vivid yellow centers. With a coordinating spread. For a vibrant display of colors in the morning flowerbed, plant this type where it gets morning sun.
How To Propagate Variegated Weigela From Stem?
Cuttings from both hardwoods as well as softwood trees can be used to propagate weigela bushes. Nevertheless, each of these methods for growing weigela plants will differ slightly.
Softwood
Softwood stems should be stored in a plastic shopping bag with a moist paper towel to keep them hydrated during the gathering and preparation process.
Fill a clean rooting dish halfway with good soil. To lightly wet the rooting media, spray it with water.
Remove the leaves from the softwood weigela stems’ lower half. Dip the lowest end of softwood stems into root hormone and tap lightly to remove excess.
Insert the weigela cuttings into the rooting tray so that the lower half is submerged in the medium. To keep the medium in place, press it around the stem. Place the cuttings in the tray, so the remaining stems and leaves do not touch.
To keep the moisture levels high during the root process, mist the weigela stems using water and cover the whole tray with a clear bag. Twice a day, open the bag and sprinkle the cuttings with water. Keep an eye on the moisture content of the medium to ensure it never becomes overly dry.
In a covered container, grow the weigela cuttings until the roots attain a length of 1 inch. Plant the stems in 4-inch pots filled with well-draining soil. After transplanting, fertilize the stems with a half-dose of a water-soluble fertilizer.
Place the growth pots in a bright, indirect light setting. For the first year, continue to cultivate the weigela stems indoors.
Hardwood
Since these cuttings lack leaves, a high-humidity environment is not initially necessary to prevent them from drying out before they root.
Take cuttings of the current season’s growth when it is nearly pencil-thick since it is mature and woody.
Remove any green growth that is still immature at the tips to improve the likelihood that roots will form. To make the tip cut, locate a point 6mm (1/4) below the base of the lowest bud.
Given the abundance of latent buds that supply the hormones needed for rooting, the base of the stem at this junction has the highest potential for root growth.
When you scrape away the bark to reveal the wood underneath, the bright green layer you observe is the cambium.
The cutting’s tip should be positioned with 1/4 to 1/3 of it remaining above the soil’s surface.
Root growth is more likely when cuttings are treated with rooting hormone.
How To Grow Variegated Weigela From Leaf Cuttings?
After cutting leaves, store them in the newspaper, in the designated area, dig a hole, loosen the backfill dirt, and take out or break up any clumps of difficult soil. Mix compost with the loose soil to create backfill soil that is 80–90% dirt and 10–20% compost.
Take the weigela out of the packaging and insert the rootball into the planting hole, distributing the roots evenly. To ensure that the weigela is planted at the same level it was growing in the pot or at the nursery, adjust the hole depth as necessary.
Insert backfill soil into the void left by the weigela roots. By hand, gently tamp the earth around the roots and beneath them. When backfilling, gently tamp the earth down by hand. Use extra soil to create a 3-inch-high ring around the planting hole’s perimeter.
To get rid of air pockets and settle the dirt around the roots, moisten the area. If the soil sinks below the level of the surrounding earth, put more dirt as backfill over the planting hole.
Cover the soil with an organic mulch 2- to 3-inches thick. Weigela stems and mulch should be separated by three inches. Water the weigela as frequently as required for at least a year to keep the soil moist.
What Is The Best Time To Plant Variegated Weigela?
While variegated weigelas usually grow best in full sun, it’s also one of the better shrubs for shade, especially in particularly hot climates. You’ll want to plant these shrubs in spring in moist, well-drained soil because they’ll need water.
How To Care for Variegated Weigela?
Variegated Weigela needs direct sunlight daily; it is best to get at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight. Before planting, give the young weigela plenty of water.
Mulch around your variegated weigela will also help it retain moisture longer.
Here are some basic steps to care for your variegated weigela;
1. Water
Variegated weigela requires constant watering until they are established. Once the plant is established and shows new growth, you can scale back your watering to the point where it won’t hurt the plant if it’s dry.
2. Fertilizer
Fertilizer is helpful but unnecessary; in early spring, feed your variegated weigela plant once a year. Use a gentle fertilizer formulated specifically for trees and shrubs.
3. Light
Variegated weigela prefers direct sunlight, so they should be placed in your landscaping, where they will receive at least 8 to 10 hours daily.
4. Soil
Variegated weigela may withstand various soil types, but they will do best in a moist yet well-draining combination. Ensure your variegated weigelas have enough space to stretch.
5. Pruning
Pruning dead wood is only sometimes required. If you decide to prune, wait until the bush has finished blooming for the year. This is because these shrubs blossom on old wood; therefore, the longer you wait to prune after the flowering time is ended, the higher the likelihood that you will remove flower buds and rob yourself of flowers the following year.
6. Humidity
Weigela bushes don’t need special temperature conditions to grow. This tolerant plant doesn’t require any particular humidity levels, either.
Typical Insects and Diseases
Weigela bushes are more resistant to pest infestation than many other landscape shrubs; only insects can cause trouble for them.
To Fix This;
Immediately treat the plant with a natural insecticide or horticulture oil like neem after spotting an infestation. To get rid of pests from the leaves, you can also strongly spray the plant with water, but be aware that you risk damaging the blooms on the plant.