Spilled Wine weigela

Sun

Full sun gives the darkest foliage and most flowers. Tolerates light partial shade, but becomes greener and flowers less.

Water

Water regularly during the first growing season, allowing the surface soil to dry slightly between waterings. Once established, water deeply during prolonged dry spells.

Soil

Average, well-drained soil, including clay that does not remain waterlogged; tolerates a broad range of soil pH.

Height

2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m)

Spread

3-4 ft (0.9-1.2 m)

Flowers

Deep pink, funnel-shaped flowers in late spring to early summer; occasional later flowers may occur, but a strong repeat display is not dependable.

Foliage

Small, pointed, burgundy-purple leaves on a broad, spreading framework; deciduous, with little dependable autumn colour.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Cold hardy
• Wildlife
• 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

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.8 ft (0.55 m)

3. After 2 years

   2 ft (0.6 m)

4. After 3 years

   2.1 ft (0.65 m)

5. After 5 years

   2.5 ft (0.75 m)

   full size

About 5 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

Moderate

• Plant with the root flare at soil level and allow room for its mature spread.
• Water deeply through the first growing season rather than giving frequent light sprinklings.
• Apply 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of organic mulch, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Top-dress with compost in spring; use a balanced shrub fertiliser only if growth is weak.
• Avoid waterlogged sites and heavy feeding, which can encourage soft growth at the expense of flowers.

Pruning. Prune only as needed immediately after the main flowering display, shortening wayward shoots and removing a few of the oldest stems at ground level if the shrub becomes crowded. Remove dead or winter-damaged wood in spring once new growth shows which stems are alive; avoid routine autumn or early-spring trimming because it removes flower buds.

Early spring

Check for winter damage as buds open and remove dead stems.

Spring

Refresh mulch and add a light compost top-dressing.

Late spring

Enjoy the main flowering display and check new shoots for aphids.

Early summer

After flowering, lightly shape the shrub only if necessary.

Summer

Water deeply during prolonged dry weather, especially in the first year.

Autumn

Plant while soil is workable in mild regions; in very cold regions, wait until spring.

• Plant along the front of a sunny mixed border for a low band of dark foliage.
• Repeat in small groups beside pale paving or silver-leaved plants for clear colour contrast.
• Use beneath taller, open shrubs, keeping it outside their deepest shade.
• Combine with compact grasses and summer-flowering perennials for contrasting leaf shapes and a longer season of interest.

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

Plant it with: Catmint, Hardy geranium, Salvia, Lamb's ears, Daylily and Feather reed grass.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar for bees and other pollinating insects and may attract hummingbirds where they occur. It is not a native shrub in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom or Australia.

• Few flowers: provide more sun and prune only after flowering; late pruning removes the following year's flower buds.
• Aphids on soft shoots: dislodge with a firm spray of water and encourage ladybirds and other predators.
• Winter dieback: wait for buds to open, then cut dead wood back to healthy growth; avoid late-season nitrogen feeding.
• Root decline in wet soil: improve drainage or move the shrub to a better-drained position rather than continuing to water.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses; no part is recognised as seriously poisonous. It is an ornamental plant, not a food plant, and eating plant material may still cause stomach upset.

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

  Also has dark purple foliage and pink flowers, but develops a substantially taller, more upright shrub rather than Spilled Wine's low, spreading mound.

• Midnight Wine weigela (Weigela florida 'Elvera')

  Forms a smaller, tighter mound, usually about 1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) tall, and generally flowers less freely.

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

Propagation. Softwood cuttings taken in late spring or early summer preserve the cultivar; seedlings will not reliably resemble it. This cultivar has plant breeders' rights or patent protection in some countries, so check local restrictions before propagating.

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.