Weigela (Weigela) is directly related to the honeysuckle family. This plant is represented by shrubs. The plant was named after the German Christian Ehrenfried von Weigel, who was a botanist, chemist and pharmacologist. Under natural conditions, this plant is found in the eastern and southeastern parts of Asia, in the Far East and on the island of Java. The genus unites 15 species represented by deciduous shrubs. Only 7 species and 10 varieties are cultivated, which are highly decorative. Weigela not only has a very effective appearance, but is relatively unpretentious, and it can be easily propagated.
Content
Features of weigela
The plant loves moisture and grows quite well in the shade. This upright shrub does not form stolons. Opposite petiolate leaf plates do not have stipules, they are serrate-serrate or serrate. The length of the bell-shaped or funnel-shaped flowers is about 5 centimeters. Flowers are single or are part of loose inflorescences. They can be painted in cream, carmine red, pink, yellow and other colors, while often during flowering, the color changes from a paler shade to a brighter one. The fruits are represented by a bivalve box with small seeds inside.
Landing weigela
What time to plant
The best time to disembark a weigela is spring. In this case, it is necessary to have time to plant the plant before the buds swell, but the earth should already be warming up, in which case it will start very well. A shrub planted in the fall dies during the first wintering.
It is best to choose a place for planting on a hill, while it must be protected from drafts and north winds, which can cause shedding of flowers and buds. Better to plant the weigela on the south side of the building. In good light, the flowers are very bright and the flowering is plentiful. For planting, you need loose soil with a lot of humus. Loamy or clayey soil, neutral or slightly alkaline, is suitable. It should be borne in mind that weigela middendorff (Weigela middendorffiana) can be planted in peaty, slightly acidic soil. The planted seedling must be at least 3 years old.
How to plant
The depth of the landing pit is from 30 to 40 centimeters.If the soil is infertile, then the pit should be made deeper, because on the drainage layer (height 15 centimeters), which can be made from gravel, fragments of brick or sand, a layer of nutrient-rich soil should be laid (1.5 buckets of compost plus 100 grams of nitrophosphate ). Fertilizer should be thoroughly mixed with compost. In order for the seedling to begin better, its roots can be treated with a substance that stimulates root growth (Viva + or Radifarm).
If the weigela seedling is of a medium-sized variety (no higher than 100 centimeters), then a distance of at least 80 centimeters should be left between the bushes, the gaps between the bushes of high varieties (up to 250 centimeters high) should be from 150 to 200 centimeters. During planting, do not forget to straighten the roots of the seedling, the soil will need to be gradually poured into the hole and tamped in order to exclude the possibility of voids formation. It is possible to deepen the root collar by only 10–20 mm, but it is desirable that when the soil settles after watering, it is at the same level with the ground. The planted plant must be well watered, and the soil surface must be sprinkled with a layer of mulch.
Weigela care
Spring
It is easy to grow such a shrub, and even a beginner can handle it. It is necessary to water the weigela only during the dry season, while a large amount of water is used (if the near-trunk circle is mulched, then watering will be more rare). You also need to do timely weeding and loosening of the soil, which is performed very carefully with only half the bayonet of the shovel, otherwise the root system can be damaged. You also need to feed the plant in a timely manner, while if you added nitrophoska and compost during planting into the hole, then the bush will not need feeding for 2 years. In the third year, at the beginning of spring, the weigela needs to be fed, for this, a complete mineral fertilizer is applied to the soil, for example: diammofoska, ammofoska, Kemiru-lux or other fertilizers that include potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. In the last days of spring or the first - summer, during budding, it is necessary to make a second top dressing, while you need to take phosphoric and potassium fertilizers (potassium sulfate, superphosphate, etc.). Thanks to this, the plant will bloom for a long time and abundantly, and the branches will also strengthen, which is good for wintering. The third time the bush is fed during digging in the fall, while taking wood ash (1 m2 you will need 200 g of top dressing). You can use Kemira-autumn fertilizer for this purpose, while the dosage should be seen in the instructions.
Bloom
This shrub blooms 2 times per season. The first lush flowering is observed from the second half of May to mid-June, while flowers appear on the shoots of the last year. The second time the shrub blooms in August and blooms until September. At the same time, flowering is less abundant than in spring, and flowers grow on the shoots of the current year. During flowering, the plant looks very impressive.
Reproduction of weigela
The plant can be easily propagated by seed. It should be borne in mind that their germination is maintained only for 1-2 years, so experienced gardeners do not recommend sowing seeds in boxes or greenhouses. The easiest way to propagate weigela is self-seeding. In spring, when shoots appear from the seeds that have fallen into the ground, it will be necessary to select the strongest, and remove the rest. They will need rearing, which lasts 2 years, only after that they can be transplanted to a permanent place. But it must be borne in mind that with this method of reproduction, varietal characteristics are not always preserved. In this regard, gardeners with considerable experience recommend reproduction in a vegetative way, namely by layering, young shoots from the stump, as well as summer green or last year's semi-lignified cuttings.For cutting cuttings, the length of which should be from 10 to 15 centimeters, you should choose the green shoots of this year (cut in the last days of June) or last year's semi-lignified shoots (cutting is carried out before the sap flow begins), or you can cut the root shoots. The leaf plates at the bottom of the cuttings must be cut off, while the top ones must be shortened by ½ part. The bottom slice must be dipped into Kornevin. The cuttings are planted in soil consisting of peat and sand, while its surface should be covered with a layer of sand equal to 4 centimeters. The shank must be deepened by only 10 mm, no more. Each plant should be covered with a cut plastic bottle or glass jar. The shelter needs to be cleaned every day for a while for airing and watering. The young shoots that have appeared must be pinched in order for the plant to be more bushy.
Layers should be propagated in a different way. Choose the sturdiest bottom shoot and bend it to the ground. At the point of contact with the ground on the shoot, you need to cut the bark slightly. Then it is fixed on the surface of the soil and sprinkled with soil. Already next spring, the cuttings will fully take root. Cuttings and cuttings can be transplanted to a permanent place only at the age of three.
How to trim properly
Weigele, like all shrubs, needs pruning. Young bushes need pruning only for sanitary purposes. To do this, at the beginning of spring, you need to cut off those branches that thicken the plant, as well as sick, injured and damaged by frost. Older plants need formative pruning, which should be done after the weigela has bloomed for the first time (in the middle of summer), while the young shoots should not yet grow. It is worth remembering that during the re-flowering, flowers appear on the shoots of the current year. In this regard, if you did not carry out the formative pruning in time, and new branches began to grow, then it is recommended to postpone it until next year. Adult shrubs need anti-aging pruning, carried out once every 3 years, while all branches that are more than 3 years old need to be cut off, and those that remain should be cut off by 1/3. In some cases, it may be necessary to prune all branches; after this pruning, the weigela is restored very well.
Diseases and pests
Often, leaf-eating caterpillars and aphids settle on this shrub. During a long period of heat and drought, thrips or spider mites can settle on the plant. However, by the beginning of the drought period, the weigela already ends its first flowering. In order to destroy these harmful insects, it is recommended to use pesticides such as: nitrafen, rogor or celtan, but it should be taken into account that they are harmful to the environment. There are more harmless means for fighting harmful insects - these are insecticidal infusions made from plants such as: hot pepper, wormwood or garlic. If the planted seedlings turn yellow and begin to fade, then this is most likely due to the fact that a bear has started up in the root system or the larvae of the May beetle have settled. They could get into the ground along with compost or humus during planting. To destroy them, it is necessary to water the bush with a solution of actara or karbofos.
Weigela most often suffers from gray rot, rust, and spotting. In order to get rid of a fungal or bacterial disease, you need to treat the bush with Bordeaux liquid (copper sulfate mixed with milk of lime). For preventive purposes, you can treat the plant during the appearance of leaves with Topsin's solution (3%).
Weigela after flowering
Seed collection
The seeds ripen in September and are harvested in October after the capsules begin to crack.In order for the seeds not to spill out onto the surface of the soil, it is necessary to wrap several pieces of testes with gauze in September and fix it on the branch. After the box is ripe, you need to carefully cut it and bring it into the room. There, you can remove the gauze and sprinkle the seeds onto a newspaper. After the seeds are dry, they need to be poured into a paper bag, on which do not forget to mark the name of the plant, its variety and the date when the seeds were collected. They must be placed in a dark, dry place where they will be stored until spring comes. It should be remembered that the seeds retain good germination only for 1–2 years, while shrubs grown from seeds may not retain the varietal characteristics of the parent plant.
Wintering
After the end of the leaf fall (in the last days of October or the first - November), you need to cover the near-trunk circle of the shrub with a layer of soil, while the height of the mound should be from 15 to 20 centimeters. It is recommended to bend the branches to the soil surface and fix them. From above, the bush is covered with spunbond or roofing felt, while the shelter is pressed so that it is not blown away by the wind. You can not bend the branches, but tie them with twine or rope, pulling well. Fence the plant with a plastic or metal net. It is necessary to pour dry fallen leaves inside the resulting structure. On top of the structure, you need to insulate with a covering dense material.
The main types and varieties with photos and names
For gardeners of middle latitudes, weigela varieties are most suitable, which are resistant to frost. These include the species and varieties described below.
Early weigela, or weigela pleasant (Weigela praecox)
In natural conditions, it grows in the Far East. The bush reaches a height of about 200 centimeters. There is pubescence on the foliage surface. The crown is spherical. The outer part of the flowers is deep pink. Inflorescences consist of 2 or 3 flowers, while they grow on the lateral shoots of this year. It happens that the throat of a flower has a white-yellow color, in the buds the flowers are painted in purple. Flowering begins in the last days of May and lasts from 10 to 30 days. The variegated variety of weigela variegated is of the greatest interest. On the surface of the green leaf plates there are specks of yellow color, in the summer they acquire a cream color.
Weigela flowering, or weigela florida (Weigela florida)
The bush reaches a height of 300 centimeters. There are 2 rows of hairs on the surface of the shoots. Short-petiolate serrated leaf plates on the front side have pubescence located along the central vein, while on the seamy surface all veins have pubescence. The inflorescences consist of 3 or 4 flowers, painted in a deep pink color, which open in the last days of May. Flowering lasts approximately 20 days.
Popular forms:
- Weigela purple, or weigela red (Weigela Purpurea). The height of the bush is about 150 centimeters, there is a lush crown. The leaf plates are brownish-red in color, the bright pink flowers have a yellow throat. Bloom is observed in June and July. Nana Purpurea is very similar to weigela purple, but the shrub is smaller.
- Alba. It is a dwarf form. White flowers turn pink during wilting.
- Variegata... This form is very beautiful and the most frost-resistant. Has small leaves. The racemose inflorescences are composed of deep pink flowers.
- Weigela pink (Weigela florida Bunge)... The outer surface of the flowers is carmine pink, while the inner surface is almost white.
- Weigela florida Victoria... The height of the bush is about 100 centimeters. The foliage is brownish red, and the flowers are purple in color.
Weigela hybrid (Weigela hybrida)
Has a spreading crown, lush flowering. The height of the bush is about 150 centimeters. Fragrant flowers have a funnel-shaped tubular shape, they can be part of loose inflorescences or be single.Depending on the variety, the color of the flowers can be pink, lilac, purple, white, violet-red.
Popular varieties:
- Bristol Ruby... The variety appeared in 1941 in the USA. The bush can reach a height of 250-300 centimeters, while the diameter of its crown is 350 centimeters. The leaves are deep green in color. The pink flowers have ruby-red edges, sometimes their center is colored orange. This fast growing plant begins to bloom in the last days of June.
- Red Prince... Bred in the USA. A compact bush in height can reach 150 centimeters. It has a spreading crown, drooping branches. Bright red flowers look very beautiful against the background of green leaves.
Weigela middendorff (Weigela middendorffiana)
The height of the bush can vary from 100 to 150 centimeters. Ascending shoots. Large (3 to 4 centimeters) yellow flowers have orange spots in the throat. They are part of low-flowered inflorescences of 2-6 pieces or are single. Flowering is observed twice per season.
Also, gardeners often grow abundantly flowering weigela, pleasant weigela, early weigela, Japanese weigela, garden weigela, Maximovich weigela and Korean weigela.
