Midnight Wine weigela

Sun

Full sun gives the darkest foliage and best flowering; tolerates light shade but becomes greener and less compact.

Water

Water regularly during establishment. Once rooted, water deeply during prolonged dry spells; avoid constantly wet soil.

Soil

Well-drained soil, including loam, clay or sandy soil improved with organic matter; tolerates a broad pH range.

Height

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m)

Spread

1.5-2 ft (0.45-0.6 m)

Flowers

Small pink, funnel-shaped flowers in late spring to early summer; flowering can be sparse.

Foliage

Small, pointed, finely toothed leaves emerge burgundy and become deep purple in good light; leaves fall in autumn.

Growth

Slow to moderate.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.7 ft (0.22 m)

   full size

About 7 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Slow

• Water deeply when the root zone starts to dry during the first growing season.
• Apply a 2 in (5 cm) layer of organic mulch, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Feed lightly with a balanced shrub fertiliser in spring only if growth is weak or the soil is poor.
• Leave room for its mature spread rather than keeping it narrow by clipping.
• Keep surrounding plants from shading or crowding this low shrub.

Pruning. Little pruning is needed. Remove dead or winter-damaged wood in spring, then shorten any stray shoots just after flowering; avoid routine shearing, which spoils its natural shape and removes flowering wood.

Early spring

Check for winter damage and cut dead stems back to healthy wood.

Spring

Plant when the ground is workable, water thoroughly and mulch around the root zone.

Late spring

Check that nearby plants are not shading the new foliage.

Early summer

After flowering, trim only damaged or awkwardly placed shoots.

Summer

Water during extended dry weather, especially plants established within the past year.

Autumn

Refresh mulch if needed and water before winter if the soil is unusually dry.

• Repeat along the front of a sunny border to create a low ribbon of dark foliage.
• Pair with silver-leaved plants and pale flowers for clear colour contrast.
• Use in small courtyard beds where larger weigelas would crowd paths.
• Plant in small groups among grasses and compact perennials for a low, rounded foreground.

Garden styles it suits: Modern, Cottage garden, Traditional, Low-maintenance, Small-space and Modern courtyard.

Plant it with: Catmint, Lamb's ears, Cranesbill geranium, Threadleaf coreopsis, Compact fountain grass and Spring-flowering alliums.

Wildlife: The flowers can attract bees and, in North America, hummingbirds, but this sparsely flowering cultivar offers less nectar than larger, freely flowering weigelas.

• Greenish foliage and loose growth: increase sunlight or move the shrub to a sunnier position during dormancy.
• Aphids on soft shoots: wash off small colonies with water and leave predators such as ladybirds undisturbed.
• Wilting or root rot in wet ground: correct drainage and avoid frequent watering of already damp soil.
• Winter dieback in cold or exposed sites: wait for spring growth, then cut damaged stems back to living wood.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. No plant part is recognised as a significant poisoning hazard, although it is not an edible plant and eating foliage may cause stomach upset.

• Wine & Roses weigela (Weigela florida 'Alexandra')

  Also has dark purple foliage and pink flowers, but grows into a much taller, upright shrub with a more substantial flower display.

• Spilled Wine weigela (Weigela florida 'Bokraspiwi')

  Has a similar low, spreading habit and purple foliage, but grows broader and taller and generally carries more pink flowers.

Weigela honours German botanist Christian Ehrenfried Weigel, florida means profusely flowering, and Midnight Wine refers to the cultivar's dark, wine-coloured foliage.

Propagation. Softwood cuttings taken in late spring or early summer can produce plants true to the cultivar; seed will not reliably do so. Check local plant breeders' rights or patent restrictions before propagating a named cultivar.

Accepted botanical name

Weigela florida

In the US and Canada

Introduced in the lower 48 states.

Native range

China North-Central, China Southeast, Inner Mongolia, Japan, Korea, Manchuria and Primorye.

Measured

Average height 300 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.