Variegated Weigela

Variegated Weigela (Weigela florida 'Variegata') earns its place twice over: cream edged leaves that lift a shaded corner all through the growing season, and a heavy spring flush of rose pink bell flowers. It reaches about 1.5m tall and 1.5m wide, forming a soft arching shrub rather than a stiff one. This is a cold climate plant, and it repays southern gardeners who are short of reliable flowering shrubs.

Why you'll love it

• Two features in one shrub. Cream and green variegated foliage from spring through autumn, plus a genuine flowering season rather than a token one.
• Rose pink spring bells. The flowers hang along arching stems in numbers heavy enough to weigh the branches down.
• Properly frost hardy. It wants cold winters, which makes it one of the easier choices for cool temperate and tableland gardens.
• Tolerates poor soil and wind. It performs in unremarkable ground and in exposed positions where softer shrubs shred, and it feeds bees and birds early in the season.

Where it works best

Mass planting and borders. Plant 1.2m apart for a massed border. At that spacing the arching branches overlap into a continuous drift without the plants losing their individual shape.

Feature planting, pots and small gardens. A single plant works as a light coloured anchor among darker evergreens, doing that job for eight months of the year without any flowering required. A pot 400mm or wider suits one plant, and the roots are not invasive.

Growing Variegated Weigela in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the best flowering, while afternoon shade protects the pale leaf margins in hot districts. It belongs in cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens. It needs winter chill and will not perform in subtropical or tropical areas.

Soil. Not fussy. It tolerates poor and average soil, though it appreciates compost worked through the bed and reasonable drainage. Mulch 75mm deep, away from the stems.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer while the roots establish, then only in dry spells. A complete slow release fertiliser in early spring is all the feeding it needs.

Pruning. Prune straight after flowering finishes in spring. The flowers form on wood made the previous year, so a winter cut removes the entire display. Taking out one or two of the oldest stems each year keeps the shrub renewing itself.

What to expect when it arrives

It is currently grown in one size: a single tube. That is a young plant, roughly a hand span tall, sold at the stage where it establishes most reliably. Weigela is deciduous, so if it ships during winter it will arrive as bare stems with no leaves at all. That is dormancy, not damage, and the plant leafs out in spring.

Expect a full season of growth before the first worthwhile flowering, and two to three seasons to reach its mature 1.5m. Tubes are at their most economical in numbers, and a group establishes into a drift or hedge far better than a lone plant, so most customers order several or combine them with other plants. Stock is packed upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, under our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the deciduous shrub range
• Understanding variegated foliage and how to keep it
• Compare frost hardy plants for cold gardens
• More variegated plants for contrast

Common questions

Will it grow in Brisbane or northern New South Wales?

Not well. It needs winter chill and suits cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean climates. In subtropical and tropical gardens it grows weakly and flowers poorly, so choose a warm climate shrub instead.

When should I prune it?

Immediately after the spring flowering. The buds form on the previous season's wood, so pruning in winter or early spring cuts off the flowers before they open.

Is it evergreen?

No, it is deciduous. It drops its leaves in winter and reshoots in spring, so pair it with evergreens if the bed needs to look furnished through the coldest months.