Variegated weigela

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; flowering is best in sun. Light afternoon shade helps protect the pale leaf margins in hot climates.

Water

Moderate; keep the root zone moist during establishment, then water during prolonged dry spells. Avoid persistently soggy soil.

Soil

Moist but well-drained soil, including loam or clay with good drainage; tolerates acidic, neutral and mildly alkaline conditions.

Height

4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m)

Spread

4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m)

Flowers

Late spring to early summer; pale to rose-pink tubular flowers, sometimes followed by a few scattered summer blooms.

Foliage

Opposite, oval, pointed green leaves with irregular cream margins; deciduous, with little dependable autumn colour.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

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

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Fairly tough

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

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   2.3 ft (0.7 m)

3. After 2 years

   3 ft (0.9 m)

4. After 3 years

   4 ft (1.1 m)

5. After 5 years

   5 ft (1.5 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

• Water deeply during dry weather in the first growing season; check soil moisture before watering again.
• Spread 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of organic mulch over the root area, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Apply compost in spring; use a balanced fertiliser only if growth is weak or the soil is poor.
• Remove any shoots with entirely green leaves at their point of origin so they do not outgrow the variegated branches.

Pruning. Prune immediately after the main flowering display, shortening flowered shoots to a strong side shoot if needed. On established shrubs, remove up to one-third of the oldest stems at ground level; avoid routine winter pruning because it removes the next crop of flowers.

Early spring

Renew mulch and add compost if needed, keeping both away from the stem bases.

Spring

Plant container-grown shrubs when soil is workable, and water thoroughly.

Late spring to early summer

After the main flowers fade, prune selectively and thin out old stems.

Summer

Water during prolonged dry spells and remove entirely green shoots.

Early summer

Take softwood cuttings from healthy, non-flowering shoots.

Autumn

Plant in mild regions while soil is moist but not waterlogged; in very cold regions, favour spring planting.

• Use in a mixed shrub border, where the cream-edged foliage contrasts with plain green shrubs.
• Plant as a loose flowering hedge with enough room for its arching branches.
• Place behind catmint or hardy geraniums to combine pink flowers with blue or violet.
• Use as a specimen beside a lawn or broad path, allowing its mature spread to remain unclipped.

Garden styles it suits: English country, Cottage garden, Traditional, Romantic rose garden, Pastel border and Low-maintenance.

Plant it with: Catmint, Hardy geranium, Peony, Lady's mantle, Salvia and Mock orange.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar for bees and attract hummingbirds where these occur in North America. Dense branches offer shelter for small birds.

• Few flowers: heavy shade or pruning in winter can remove the display; give it more sun and prune only after flowering.
• Brown leaf margins: drought, hot afternoon sun or drying winds can scorch the variegation; water deeply, mulch and provide afternoon shade in hot sites.
• Aphids on young shoots: wash off small colonies with water and encourage natural predators; use insecticidal soap for persistent infestations, following the label.
• Root decline in wet soil: improve drainage or move the shrub to a better-drained position rather than repeatedly watering a struggling plant.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses; no part is recognised as a significant poisoning hazard. Eating plant material may still cause mild stomach upset.

• Variegated mock orange (Philadelphus coronarius 'Variegatus')

  Also has cream-edged leaves, but its flowers are open, white and usually fragrant rather than pink and tubular.

• Variegated red-twig dogwood (Cornus alba 'Elegantissima')

  Has leaves with strongly curved veins, flat clusters of small white flowers and conspicuous red winter stems, rather than pink trumpet-shaped flowers.

Weigela honours the German botanist Christian Ehrenfried Weigel, florida means profusely flowering, and 'Variegata' refers to the variegated leaves.

Propagation. Take softwood cuttings in early summer or semi-ripe cuttings later in summer, choosing shoots with good variegation. Layering a low branch also works; seedlings will not reliably retain the cultivar's variegation.

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.