Growing the Apple Blossom Towers Of Flowers® Weigela

Size and Appearance

The Apple Blossom Towers Of Flowers® Weigela grows to 3 feet tall in its second year in your garden, and within a couple more years it will be approaching 6 feet tall, yet it stays around 3 feet wide, and with some trimming it could be even narrower. In planters and pots it is likely to stay about 4 feet tall. It’s a breakthrough in weigela, because all the other varieties are broad and mounding. Leaves are carried all along the young stems, and in clusters along the older branches. They are mid-green and oval, with a lustrous surface, prominent veins and a tapering point. They are about 3 inches long and keep your bush looking attractive even when blooming is over.

The first flower buds will be visible as soon as April in warmer zones, and the peak period for blooming is through May and June, with blooms still opening in July – that’s 3 months of blooms, much more than almost any other flowering shrub. Flowers are carried all along the stems, from near the ground to the very tip. They are in clusters of up to 5 buds, but in abundance, so blooming is very prolific. The flowers are trumpet-shaped, with a flaring mouth of 5 open lobes, inviting those hummingbirds to visit – and they do. About 1-inch long and 1¼-inch wide, the flowers are a beautiful pink on the outside, opening the same color and then as they mature they become paler, true apple-blossom pink, turning to a very pale lilac-pink at the end of their time – individual flowers last about 5 days.

Using the Apple Blossom Towers Of Flowers® Weigela in Your Garden

This great bush brings a new look – it really is a ‘tower of flowers’. Use it for height in narrow areas, between evergreens perhaps, or at the back of a bed. Plant it surrounded by lower shrubs for a striking contrast. Spaced 18 to 24 inches apart it’s a perfect slender hedge that needs little trimming. Spread it out on a sunny wall, fence, or trellis – bingo!, instant espalier that is dead easy to create. In zones 7 and 8 it makes a great year-round shrub for planter boxes too – height with little width, it’s terrific.

Hardiness

You can grow the Apple Blossom Towers Of Flowers® Weigela from zone 6 all through zone 8. It will grow in zone 9 too, but in areas with very mild winters it may not have enough cold to develop its flowers properly.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

You will get the best results planting your Apple Blossom Towers Of Flowers® Weigela in full sun, but it will do just fine with an hour or two of shade each day – just avoid too much or it won’t flower so well. You will of course get the best results in moist, rich, well-drained soil, but the good news is that this shrub is super-tough, and grows even in poor urban soils, clays, and just about anywhere that isn’t always wet – it’s a fully-qualified survivor.

Maintenance and Pruning

You can expect the Apple Blossom Towers of Flowers® Weigela to be free of any significant pests or diseases, and usually even deer ignore it. Some simple pruning is a good idea. After most of the flowering is over cut back the stems that bloomed by about one-third. On older bushes remove a couple of the oldest stems close to the ground. That’s it – and don’t trim new stems in summer, as they are where the flowers will be next year. You can also stake the stems as needed to build a very tight and narrow column for a more formal look.

History and Origin of the Apple Blossom Towers Of Flowers® Weigela

Weigela florida grows wild in Japan, China, and Korea. It was one of the many plants brought out of Japan in the 19th century that excited Western gardeners, and it’s an enduring favorite. The breakthrough Apple Blossom Towers Of Flowers® Weigela was created by one of the world’s top flower breeders – a Frenchman called Charles Valin who has been the head breeder for the last 10 years at the English seed and plant company Thompson & Morgan. He has created many different new flowers. He has been developing new weigela from seed for several years, and in 2014 he collected seed from one of them, which he tagged as `WG13001`. Among the seedlings at their Ipswich breeding greenhouses he found a plant that was unique. It first flowered in 2016 and was patented with the name ‘TMWG16-02’ in 2020. T&M have worked with PlantHaven International in Santa Barbara California to release this plant for American gardeners, under the Towers Of Flowers® trademark, as the color Apple Blossom.

Buying the Apple Blossom Towers Of Flowers® Weigela at the Tree Center

For a beautiful, delicate yet bright look, you can’t beat the lovely tones of pinks, lilacs and whites on this beautiful shrub. Enjoy it in the garden or in a planter – either way you’ll love its endless and profuse blooming. But order now, because this beauty is selling out fast.

Growing the Cherry Towers Of Flowers® Weigela

Size and Appearance

The Cherry Towers Of Flowers® Weigela is an upright deciduous shrub with many branches growing from the base, quickly forming a shrub that is 4 to 6 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. With staking and trimming it can be kept narrower. It is fast-growing, reaching 3 feet tall in its second year, and full-size within a couple more years. Leaves grow all along new stems, and in clusters along older stems. The leaves are ovals that sit more-or-less directly on the stem, about 3½ inches long and 1½ inches wide. They are mid-green with a smooth matt surface, prominent veins, and a short pointed tip. Young leaves have an attractive bronzy-red toning, which adds early brightness before blooming begins.

Flowers develop in clusters of up to 8 buds all along the stems, creating a real ‘tower of flowers’. Every place there are leaves on the stems there will be multiple flowers. Flowering begins as early as April in warmer zones, and continues all through May and June, tapering off through July. That is 3 months of blooming, a really strong display for any flowering shrub, and a big part of the reason these plants are proving so popular. The blooms are trumpet-shaped, 1-inch long and 1¼-inch wide, with a mouth flaring out into 5 rounded lobes. These are large blooms, and very showy, scarlet-red on both the outside and inside of the flower, accented by prominent pure-white flower parts. The flowers are attractive to pollinators and hummingbirds.

Using the Cherry Towers Of Flowers® Weigela in Your Garden

With this great new variety you can have beautiful upright blooming bushes so quickly and so easily. Use it in shrub beds, or tuck it into those awkward spots that often develop as your garden matures, where you need height but not much width. Use it against a fence or wall – it can easily be tied in or attached to a few canes to make a more formal look. Plant it at the end of a pathway as an accent. Grow a row for a fabulous hedge – space plants 18 to 24 inches apart. It is also wonderful in planters and pots, surrounded by complimentary trailing plants, or even all alone for a striking display.

Hardiness

The Cherry Towers Of Flowers® Weigela is hardy in all warmer zones, from zone 6 through zone 8. In warmer parts of zone 9 there is a possibility that the lack of enough winter cold will inhibit the development of flower buds.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun is ideal for the Cherry Towers Of Flowers® Weigela, and it will also grow in a spot with an hour or two of shade each day – too much will reduce blooming. It grows well in most garden soils, as long as they are well-drained, and that includes rough urban soils, poor soil and clays – just avoid wet spots.

Maintenance and Pruning

Pests or diseases are normally never an issue with the Cherry Towers Of Flowers® Weigela. Neither are deer, although those critters are always unpredictable. All weigela bloom on older stems, so pruning is needed for the best results. After the main flush of blooms is over, trim back older stems that have bloomed, to stimulate new stems to replace them. Remove a quarter to a third of the stem, but once your plant is older, also remove one or two of the oldest stems right at the ground – you will see that they are not flowering as well as they used to. Avoid trimming new stems – that reduces flowering for next year. With this column-form plant you can use stakes to keep the stems boldly upright, making a more formal tower – blooms will form almost to the ground.

History and Origin of the Cherry Towers Of Flowers® Weigela

No, Weigela florida didn’t come from Florida, the name means ‘florid’ (bright red). This plant grows wild in China, Korea and Japan. It was introduced into Europe around 1845 and immediately became popular – as it still is today. Many garden forms have been created, sometimes with other weigela species, so most are hybrids to some extent. The variety officially called ‘TMWG16-04’ was created in England by Charles Valin. He is a Frenchman who has been the chief plant breeder for the major English firm of Thomson & Morgan for 10 years. In 2013 the Royal Horticultural Society honored him with the Reginald Cory Memorial Cup, a award for breeders who introduce exciting new varieties. He grew seed from a hot-pink weigela called ‘Alexandra’ and in 2014 planted those seedlings beside a plant of one of his own varieties (`WG13003`). From the seed he collected from his own plant he grew many seedlings, and in 2016 selected one to be ‘TMWG16-04’. It was patented in 2020. PlantHaven International of Santa Barbara California, have added it to their existing range of plants that have the trademark name of Towers of Flowers®, as Cherry, because if its delicious color.

Buying the Cherry Towers Of Flowers® Weigela at the Tree Center

If you love bold upright plants, you are going to love the Cherry Towers Of Flowers® Weigela – we sure do – they already look great in the pots. Get ready for a towering season of blooms that puts a cherry on the top of your gardening efforts. Don’t hesitate to order, though, as these plants will soon be gone.

Growing the Lemon Ice Weigela

Size and Appearance

The Lemon Ice Weigela is a vigorous deciduous shrub, that has an upright, slightly arching form, reaching 5 or 6 feet tall and wide within a few years. The young stems are red, and the leaves are a bold green, making an interesting contrast when this plant starts to grow in spring. The 2-inch long leaves are oval and an attractive background for the flowers, and for other shrubs around them. Blooming begins earlier than other varieties of weigela, with the first blooms opening in late April and continuing through May.

The flowers are in clusters, and a plant in spring bloom is so smothered with blossoms in that first blooming that the leaves are obscured by the profusion of large flowers. Each bloom is tubular, flaring open at the mouth into 5 flat petals which make a ‘landing strip’ for the insects and butterflies that love the blooms. The hummingbirds that also come of course don’t need anywhere to land – they hover above the clusters, feasting. The color is quite unlike other weigela. It is a pale acid yellow with hints of the palest possible chartreuse – a glowing color at the very cool end of the spectrum. After that initial blooming the flowers fall – no dead-heading required – and then, after a short break, more blooms appear on the new stems, continuing with a light bloom production all the way through summer and into fall.

Using the Lemon Ice Weigela in Your Garden

With its extraordinary coloring, this bush is a wonderful companion to other flowering shrubs, especially those with dark-colored leaves and dark blooms. It is a perfect color foil for any other plant color, including the pinks and reds of other weigela, which really ‘pop’ when grown in front of it. Grow it in the background of your beds to bring light, and accent darker tones around it. Feature it among dark-green evergreens around your home. Plant it on a bank or at the foot of a wall. Wherever you grow it, you are going to love it

Hardiness

Considering their exotic-looking blooms, weigela are cold hardy, and this bush will grow easily in zone 5 and all the way through zone 8. In warmer zones than that there may not be enough winter cold for it to bloom properly.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Although it will be happy in a little partial shade, full sun is preferable for the Lemon Ice Weigela, especially to keep the continuous blooms coming. It does need well-drained soil, and it won’t grow well in wet ground, but otherwise it grows in any kind of soil, including heavy clays and rough urban soils and conditions. It may look exotic, but it’s easy to grow.

Maintenance and Pruning

Pests and diseases won’t bother the Lemon Ice Weigela, and neither will deer, although they are always unpredictable. Since it blooms in spring on older wood, the time to prune is after that first flush of blooms. Shorten back side stems – new growth will quickly sprout and bloom in the same season – and remove any long, awkward shoots. On older plants remove a few old stems completely each year, to encourage new growth from the base and keep your plant youthful and vigorous. That summer pruning is the secret to later blooms in the year, and to the blooms of the following spring.

History and Origin of the Lemon Ice Weigela

The Japanese weigela, Weigela florida, has a confusing name. It doesn’t come from Florida, because the name is derived from the word ‘florid’, meaning ‘flushed red’, not from the state. The earliest plants were introduced by the plant hunter Robert Fortune from Japan in 1845, but the wild plant can also be found growing in northern China and Korea. The variety called ‘Lemiczam’ was created by the late James Zampini, who owned Lake County Nursery, in Perry, Ohio. He was a keen breeder and a grower with a good eye for new varieties, who found many beautiful new trees and shrubs. It is distributed with the trademark name of Lemon Ice by Upshoot, a plant development and marketing company founded by Mr. Zampini’s daughter, Maria.

Buying the Lemon Ice Weigela at the Tree Center

This unique color in Weigela is a truly valuable addition to these terrific garden shrubs. It is sure to be a big hit, and our stock will be gone very quickly – order now, everyone wants one.

Growing the Sonic Bloom® Red Weigela

Size and Appearance

The Sonic Bloom® Red Weigela is an upright, arching deciduous shrub that grows 4 to 6 feet tall and wide. Many branches grow from low-down on the plant, keeping it bushy and dense. Older stems are an attractive light gray-brown color, and they create a sturdy framework for this vigorous shrub, that will reach its full size in just a few years of growth. The leaves are dark green ovals, growing to 4 inches long, with an interesting undulating form and a finely-toothed edge. They have a firm texture, with a slight gloss, and they stay healthy and fresh looking from summer to fall.

Blooming typically begins around May, with clusters of blooms developing among the new leaves, all along the stems of the previous year. The flowers are large, about 1½ inches long, with a fat, tubular form, and an open mouth with 5 broad lobes. They stand upright or point outwards, so they are very showy, and don’t hang down at all. Their brilliant lipstick red is a blast of color beaming out across your garden. The blooming is so profuse that the leaves are almost completely hidden. That first blooming last about 6 weeks, and the flowers are magnets for hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinating insects. After a brief rest, new blooms form on the developing stems, keeping the color coming and coming right into the fall. Deadheading isn’t needed to encourage reblooming, as it often is in other shrubs.

Using the Sonic Bloom® Red Weigela in Your Garden

Wherever you need color – that is the spot for the Sonic Bloom Red Weigela. Grow it against a backdrop of evergreens around your home, or plant it in the middle of shrub beds, or at the back in smaller beds or in narrower areas. Use it along a fence, or by a gate or doorway – we all need a colorful welcoming. Space plants 3 to 4 feet apart for a beautiful informal hedge.

Hardiness

The blooms might look exotic and ‘tropical’, but the Sonic Boom Red Weigela is very hardy, even through zone 4. It prefers areas with warm or hot summers, yet it tolerates cold winters well, and grows all the way into zone 8. There isn’t enough winter cold in hotter ones for proper development.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun is best for the Sonic Boom Red Weigela, for maximum blooming, but it will handle an hour or two or shade each day just fine. It grows easily and vigorously in any well-drained soil, including soils from sands to heavy clays. Although drought resistant, long periods of dryness could reduce reblooming, so water regularly.

Maintenance and Pruning

Feed in spring with a fertilizer for flowering trees and shrubs. Slow-release forms give good results, and they only need one application a season. Pests or diseases rarely cause problems, and deer don’t like to eat this plant. For the best results over the years, prune in summer just after that first blooming comes to an end. Remove any weak or damaged stems, and shorten back the remaining branches by up to one-third. In older plants that have become very dense, remove a few of the oldest branches close to the ground, just above a strong side-stem. This invigorates and renews your bush, encouraging lots of strong new branches. Don’t trim later in the year, as this will remove flowers for that May blooming the next year.

History and Origin of the Sonic Bloom® Red Weigela

The common weigela, Weigela florida, is a shrub that grows wild in Korea. It was introduced separately into America and into Europe, and there the varieties are often very different from our classic ones. ‘Red Prince’ is an older, classic form, probably from North America, and one of the best reds, but it only blooms in early summer. Gijsbertus Verhoef is a plant breeder in the small town of Hazerswoude, just outside Boskoop, the plant growing center of the Netherlands. He collected seed from a plant of ‘Red Prince’ early this century, and grew a batch of seedlings. Among them was one that stood out for its lipstick-red blooms, but even more for how the flowers kept coming and coming, all through summer and into fall. He patented it in 2014 with the name, ‘Verweig 6’. It is part of the Sonic Bloom® collection of reblooming weigela put together by the Syngenta Group, a French seed and plant developer. It is made available to American gardeners as part of the Proven Winners® range, a brand of Spring Meadow Nursery, from Michigan.

Buying the Sonic Bloom® Red Weigela at the Tree Center

Finally, a true reblooming weigela. You will love this spectacular bush, and so will all those pollinators. Deer not so much. . . But order now, because our stock is limited, and these great bushes deserve a good home – yours.

Growing the Merlot Rose Weigela

Size and Appearance

The Merlot Rose Weigela is a small shrub, growing no more than 3 feet tall, and spreading a little wider, to around 4 feet across. The compact branches are densely covered in foliage, and its broad mounding habit covers the ground completely, making this an excellent ground-cover, suppressing weeds and filling your beds. The leaves, which are almost 2 inches long and 1 inch wide, are deep burgundy, like a rich red wine, from the time they first emerge in spring until the eventually drop to the ground in fall. This powerful color is the richest of all the weigela with colored leaves, and it really stands out in your beds, making a great color effect. Planting it with shrubs that have golden leaves will really bring your garden to life, and create a wonderful display, one that is there continuously, not just when flowers are around. No wonder colored foliage is so popular.

Foliage color is not the end for the Merlot Rose Weigela. No, it’s only the beginning. In May to June, this shrub bursts into bloom, lasting at least 3 weeks in this initial flowering. The plant is completely covered in blooms – the creator counted 3,000 flowers on each mature plant. The flowers are carried in clusters, appearing on short side stems that grow from the branches created in the previous year or two. The tubular flowers flare open at their mouth, with five small lobes spreading outwards. Each flower is 1½ inches long, and ½ inch across, and it is a deep pinkish red color, inside and out, making a vibrant display against the dark foliage. Butterflies love the flowers, but the real prize is the hummingbirds that are attracted to them – this plant is a real hummingbird magnet. You can enjoy these wonderful creatures in your own garden, and your children will love them too – have the camera ready.

Using the Merlot Rose Weigela in Your Garden

Use the Merlot Rose Weigela in the foreground of your larger shrub beds, alone or planted in groups. Grow it as an accent plant in a smaller garden, and plant it among evergreens, where its foliage color will really stand out. It is also small enough to be used in planters, on a terrace, patio or balcony, so you can enjoy this great plant even if you don’t have a garden.

Hardiness

The Merlot Rose Weigela grows easily throughout zone 5, and all the way through zone 8, so it can be grown across most of the country.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

This shrub should be planted in full sun for the best foliage color and blooming, but it will grow in light partial shade too. It grows in most types of soil, including heavy clay, if the soil is well-drained. It will not grow well in wet ground. It grows well in urban gardens, so wherever you are you can enjoy this great plant, for both its vibrant purple foliage, and its rose-colored flowers.

Maintenance and Pruning

The Merlot Rose Weigela is not bothered by pests or diseases, and even deer leave it alone. As that first flowering fades, the flowers drop naturally to the ground, so there is no need to spend time tidying the bush. If you prune at this time, new flowers will continue to be created during the summer and early fall, and there will rarely be a time when there aren’t at least a few flowers to enjoy. The goal in pruning the Merlot Rose Weigela is to encourage new shoots for the next year, so you should remove a few of the oldest stems completely, or back to where strong new shoots are pushing out. As well, shorten back long side branches, so that they will sprout again, bringing that second crop of flowers.

History and Origin of the Merlot Rose Weigela

The Merlot Rose Weigela is the result of a breeding program carried out by Kees Jan Kraan, at a nursery in Boskoop, the Netherlands, called Boot & Co. This part of Holland has been a center for plant breeding and production for over a century. Kraan collected seed from some promising seedling plants he had already bred in 2000, using an older variety with red flowers called ‘Evita’. By 2007 he found, among that second batch of seedlings he grew, one that was what he wanted – a compact plant with great foliage color and many richly-colored blooms. After trialing it he patented it in the USA in 2011. It was released as Colorstar Merlot Rose by the breeders’ agent Concept Plants.

Buying the Merlot Rose Weigela at the Tree Center

Our plants are grown under license, and guaranteed to be identical to that original, carefully-selected plant that Krees Jan Kraan created. The demand for top-quality foliage plants is always huge, as everyone recognizes how valuable they are in the garden. Order now while our limited stock is still available.

Growing the Czechmark Trilogy® Weigela

Size and Appearance

The Czechmark Trilogy Weigela is a deciduous woody shrub, with stout branches that rise vertically and branch out horizontally, creating a rounded plant a little more than 3 feet tall, and equally wide. The thick stems have an interesting knobbly bark, which is most noticeable in winter, adding some interest at that quiet time. The leaves are a rich, dark green that holds well all season, and they are oval, 1½ inches long, with a pointed tip and a softly serrated edge. They are carried in pairs all along new branches, and in clusters along the older stems, keeping this bush dense and attractive.

Regular weigela bushes have flowers in clusters of 4 or 5, but in this plant there are about 20 in each large cluster, making large, 4 inches tall bunches of blooms. You can expect to have 200 or 300 blooms on a mature bush over the season, which lasts a full month or more, from late spring into the first weeks of summer. In a good location you can expect to have more flower clusters appearing during the summer, as new stems mature. The tubular flowers are like trumpets, with lobed edges, and they are a full inch wide, and 1½ inches long, significantly larger than on most other varieties. The flowers are fragrant, and they open white, then turn pink, and mature to a bright purple-red color – three colors all at the same time, as the blooms open progressively in each cluster. This really is a stunning display, the best we have ever seen on a weigela, and this is a variety that turns that ordinary shrub into something very special.

Using the Czechmark Trilogy® Weigela in Your Garden

Wherever you need flowers, that is where to grow this bush. Its compact size makes it perfect for smaller beds, or you can plant it in groups in larger ones. Tuck it among the evergreens around your home for a great finish, or plant it along a path for the ‘welcome home’ you deserve. It can be planted in a row, spaced 2-feet apart, for a low border, or edging to a bed, or along a path, or beside the driveway. It also grows well in planters and pots on a terrace or patio.

Hardiness

The Czechmark Trilogy Weigela is hardy to zone 4, and it will grow in all but the very warmest parts of the country too, all the way into zone 8.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Grow this shrub in full sun for the most flowers and best results. A little shade for a few hours is tolerated well. It will grow in any well-drained soil, including poorer soils, and both acid and alkaline ones. Established plants tolerate normal summer dryness with no problem at all.

Maintenance and Pruning

Mulch the soil over the roots in spring with some garden compost or other organic material to conserve moisture, and to feed you bush. Pests and diseases are not usually problems. For the best results, prune as soon as the last flowers fall. Trim back all stems that carried blooms close to the main branches, leaving just a few inches of growth. New shoots will quickly develop that will flower in the following year. After a few years, at the same time, start removing a few of the oldest branches back to a lower and younger stem, or right to the ground. This will encourage vigorous new branches to grow, rejuvenating older bushes. This annual pruning is the only care needed.

History and Origin of the Czechmark Trilogy® Weigela

Weigela florida is a large shrub that grows naturally in Japan, Korea and northern China. It is not from the state of Florida – the name is from ‘florid’, meaning ‘flushed red’, to describe the flowers. The famous plant collector Robert Fortune brought it to Europe from Japan in 1845, and from there it was shipped to America. It has been widely grown in Europe and America since then, for its beautiful flowers.

Vojtech Benetka is a plant breeder at the Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Gardening in Pruhonice, the Czech Republic. In 2004 he pollinated a plant of Weigela `Musca` with pollen from a plant of his own breeding. Among the resulting seedlings was one with very prolific blooming, large blossoms and unique color changes as the flowers mature. He patented this plant in 2018 with Spring Meadow Nursery of Grand Haven, Michigan, as ‘VUKOZGemini’, and it is marketed as a Proven Winners® plant by Spring Meadow, with the trademarked name of Czechmark Trilogy®.

Buying the Czechmark Trilogy® Weigela at The Tree Center

We specialize in bringing the newest and best to our clients, and we simply couldn’t believe the blooming on this shrub, and neither will you. You can be sure it will sell out like crazy, so order yours now, while we still have stock available.

Growing the Spilled Wine® Weigela

Size and Appearance

A small deciduous shrub, the Spilled Wine Weigela grows rapidly into a bush between 2 and 3 feet tall, always mounding with a wider-than-tall shape that is perfect for filling spaces in your beds, without being too tall. The stiff stems have brown, textured bark, and the leaves are carried in clusters all along them. The smooth, glossy leaves are about 3 inches long, with a graceful oval form, tapering to a pointed tip, with a slightly serrated edge. The color of the foliage when the leaves first expand is a very dark purple, with a dark gray overtone – almost black and very striking. As the leaves mature they turn a gorgeous wine red, and they stay that way, without greening, all summer long and through fall as well. That powerful solid color is a great anchor in your garden, with or without its blooms.

You will see the first blooms opening on your plant in late May or early June, and you can expect a good 6 weeks of flowers, with some additional blooms often opening in early fall as well. The fascinating tubular flowers are carried in clusters of about a dozen, all along the stems, and these large flowers thrust up and out like a chorus of trumpeters. They are large – 2 ½ inches long – with a slightly flared mouth, and colored rich deep red to purplish-pink. They look fantastic against that dark foliage. Each bloom is decorated with a prominent white stigma inside it – the flower part that receives the pollen. These blooms are adored by hummingbirds, and you will enjoy these aerial jewels visiting your bush repeatedly.

Using the Spilled Wine® Weigela in Your Garden

This tough and easy-care shrub is perfect for the foreground of your beds, in front of taller shrubs, or planted around your home in front of evergreens. Its shorter size means it can be planted beneath windows without blocking them or used as a low border along a path or driveway. It can also be planted in tubs and boxes, alone or with complementary plants, such as silvers, blues, lilacs or yellows. With its low, wide form you can space it up to 3 feet apart in group plantings or rows, so a few plants fill a large area, without being tall or crowding out other plants.

Hardiness

The Spilled Wine Weigela is hardy in all but the coldest and hottest zones. It is ideal for all temperate gardens across most of the country, from zone 4 to zone 8.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun is the best for the Spilled Wine Weigela, as this will give you both the brightest foliage color and the most flowers. It will take a couple of hours of shade a day, but too much will cause the leaves to fade to greener tones and reduce flowering substantially. This plant will grow in any well-drained soil, including poor urban soils. It is very adaptable and not at all demanding, and it grows almost anywhere.

Maintenance and Pruning

Very little maintenance is needed for this tough and easy plant. The flowers drop naturally, and the leaves are small enough not to make a mess. In poor soil spring mulch can be helpful, but you can just leave this bush to take care of itself. Pests and diseases are rarely ever problems, and deer normally leave it alone.

Once it has been growing for a few years you can start pruning, in summer right after the flowers are gone. Trim back the short side-stems that have carried flowers to just an inch or two long and remove any weak or dead stems completely. Older plants can have some of the thick, old stems removed completely, to encourage new, vigorous growth.

History and Origin of the Spilled Wine® Weigela

Weigela florida is the most grown shrub from this small group, and it doesn’t come from Florida at all. The name is from ‘florid’, meaning ‘flushed red’, and the plant comes from Japan, China and Korea. It was introduced in 1845, first to Europe and then into America. It has been a popular flowering shrub for early summer ever since. The original plants had green leaves, but in the 1990s the plant called Wine & Roses® (‘Alexandra’) was found in Boskoop, in the Netherlands. That was also where, in 2007, Kees Jan Kraan found a unique seedling among the Weigela plants he was breeding. He named it `Bokraspiwi` and it was patented by Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc., of Grand Haven, Michigan, in 2013. They called it Spilled Wine® and released it as part of their ‘Wine’ Weigela series of Proven Winners® shrubs.

Buying the Spilled Wine® Weigela at The Tree Center

Everyone loves Wine & Roses®, and we know that Spilled Wine® is going to be just as popular – even more so probably, because of its more compact size. Order your bushes now, while we have stock remaining, and enjoy months of reliable and easy color in your summer garden.

Growing the ‘Red Prince’ Weigela

Size and Appearance

The ‘Red Prince’ Weigela is a deciduous shrub, growing between 5 and 8 feet tall and wide, with many arching branches growing from the base. These are thick and sturdy, with a roughly textured bark. It has medium-sized elliptical leaves, about 4 inches long, produced in clusters all along the branches. The flowers are carried on short side branches produced on stems of the previous recent years, and they are in clusters of 3 to 5. The flowers are large, up to 1½ inches long, funnel-shaped, with a flaring mouth made up of 5 lobes. Each flower is well over one inch across. Both the inside and the outside of the flower is a clean, bright red, without any purple tones, and the flower parts are pure white, standing out beautifully. Unlike almost every other Weigela sold as red, in the Red Prince Weigela the flowers stay red even when they fall, so that delicious raspberry coloring just keeps ongoing. Flowering takes place chiefly from the middle of spring on to early summer, and, especially if you prune out the flowering stems after they have finished, more blooms will be produced later in the summer and into fall.

Using the ‘Red Prince’ Weigela in Your Garden

Grow the Red Prince Weigela among other shrubs in a mixed shrub bed or use it alone to create informal hedges and summer screening. It is a great way to hide an old fence, or an unsightly wall, turning ‘blah’ into beauty. To make an informal flowering hedge or screen, plant in a row 3 to 4 feet apart. The branches can also be bent back to attach to a sunny wall, making a great display and taking up virtually no space.

Hardiness

This plant is hardy even in zone 4, and thrives everywhere, right into zone 8.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Plant the ‘Red Prince’ Weigela in a warm, sheltered sunny place. It will grow in a little shade, but flowering may be reduced. It grows in any well-drained soil, and it is an especially good choice for heavy clay soils, which it enjoys growing in, as long as they aren’t constantly wet. It enjoys hot, exposed places, where it blooms at its best.

Maintenance and Pruning

The ‘Red Prince’ Weigela has no significant pests or diseases, and deer leave it alone. Weigela should be pruned immediately after the first crop of flowers is over. Remove most of the older branches – those with lots of crowded side shoots. Shorten back younger branches, cutting back to where strong new stems will have started to grow out. These should not be cut until the following year, as they are the shoots that will carry most of next year’s flowers. For a more formal hedge you can trim harder, but if you trim regularly flowering will suffer – it is best to grow this plant informally.

History and Origin of the ‘Red Prince’ Weigela

The ‘Red Prince’ Weigela is a hybrid plant, created from several species of weigela. Most of its parentage is from Weigela florida, a plant that grows wild in Korea, and it is often listed simply as a variety of that species. Weigela florida was introduced into America by the Arnold Arboretum in 1905. It was collected by John George Jack, who travelled to the East for the Arboretum, to Korea and Japan, collecting plants and seeds. The collector Ernest Wilson, who also worked at times for the Arnold Arboretum, sent seed to England in 1918, and still today European and English plants are noticeably different from American ones. We don’t know the exact parentage of the variety called ‘Red Prince’, but we do know that it is considered one of the very best weigela hybrid plants, notable for its profuse flowering and bold clean red flowers.

Buying the ‘Red Prince’ Weigela at the Tree Center

Our plants are grown from stem pieces, to carefully preserve the exact genetic makeup of this plant, which could never be grown cheaply from seed. If you love easy-care shrubs that grow anywhere and thrive, then you – and those hummingbirds – will love the Red Prince Weigela. Order now, because this popular variety sells out fast.