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mcr1968

Weigela help...pretty please : )

mcr1968
13 years ago

Hi everyone! Hope you can help us. Hubby and I just purchased some weigela's from Lowe's clearance rack (2 Java Red's and 2 Wine and Roses) and we are a little unsure of what to do. (don't you just love us newbies :) I've done my searches and all I'm finding is that they should be cut back after flowering in the "Spring". Should we go ahead and cut them back before planting? Would it be ok to plant them now if we kept them well watered, or should we wait till Fall? Do you have either of these Weigela's? If so what's your opinion on them...like them/dislike them? And you know what my last question is going to be...Anyone wanna share pictures of theirs? : ) (Don't we all like to see the pretty pics?)

Thank you,

Mary

Comments (13)

  • Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca
    13 years ago

    Hi Mary!
    I dont have any pictures of mine, but i love them. They bloom for quite some time and ive seen a hummingbird go for my red wiegala. I say dont cut them back unless they are too big, if at all. I think if you didnt prune theyll be fine. Id also plant them too. I lose more plants to death in their pot because they get rootbound and i accidently forget about them. I bet the plants are thrilled you rescued them!!

  • xantippe
    13 years ago

    I think they'll be fine if you plant them and then, of course, keep them well watered. I have two of an unknown variety (my neighbor dug them out of her garden and gave them to me). After two years in my garden, they started getting overgrown and woody, so I chop them almost the the ground after they bloom. They love it! They put out all sort of new growth and often even rebloom for me.

  • mcr1968
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks for the help guys! I'll be up bright and early in the morning to plant those babies! Lilyfinch...for $2.50 a piece, I'm thinking about going back and rescuing their entire family...lol...

  • agardenstateof_mind
    13 years ago

    Nice find, MCR! I agree with the previous posts to go ahead and plant them - they are more likely to become heat/water stressed in the pots than in the ground. Just do take care to water them until they become established; a nice layer of mulch to help keep the soil moist and cool will help, too.

    I have 'Wine and Roses' and 'Rubidor' (chartreuse leaves and ruby red flowers). Both are growing new leaves after having been fried during our extraordinarily hot summer and watering restrictions; and 'Rubidor' is even flowering lightly!

  • mary_lu_gw
    13 years ago

    I have 3 Wine and Roses that were planted in 2003. They have grown together and look like one continuous bush. I ususally wait until about mid-summer to prune as they bloom quite a long time.

    This is a long shot view of the back...they are planted in a semi-circle around the small fountain.

    This view is closer up from the other side.
    {{gwi:676455}}

  • plantmaven
    13 years ago

    I have two. One has a varigated leaf.

    {{gwi:654676}}

    The other is in too much shade. It get's one or two blooms only. Like you, I knew nothing about them when I planted the first one.
    I will move it this fall, once it cools down.

  • organic_kitten
    13 years ago

    Beautiful pictures and a beautiful garden, Mary lu.
    kay

  • mary_lu_gw
    13 years ago

    Thank you. We keep working on it, but it has been a horrible summer. So hot with so much rain earlier, and now very dry.

    This picture is a little better lighting so that you can see the blooms.

  • mcr1968
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Oh Mary Lu...I have admired your garden since I first saw it in your post titled "Now you did it...before, during, after". I even saved that post to my favorites and have looked at your pictures numerous times, wishing I could have a garden as pretty as that. I guess you could say I'm your secret stalker...lol... And this picture in that post of the fountain with the hostas and those pretty dark colored bushes...one of my favorites!

    {{gwi:690531}}

    I wasn't sure what kind they were, but I knew I loved them. Now that I know what they are, I think I'll go back and get me some more...lol... Thanks so much for sharing more pictures of your beautiful garden and for ID'ing those bushes for me!

    plantmaven: Love that variegated weigela! How much shade is too much shade on your other one? Just wondering because I think that I may have have to eventually end up moving one of the Java Red's. It's only getting maybe 3.5 or 4 hours of morning sun. The rest of the day it's in shade.

    Thanks again everyone for all your help!

  • plantmaven
    13 years ago

    It is almost getting sun and the time is 1:40 p.m.

    My house faces North. So the sun crosses from side to side.
    There is an AZ ash in the back middle of the yard. Most of my plants get the extreme heat of the afternoon, as my street curves just past my house.
    The varigated is planted along the East fence, so it gets morning sun. It has been in the ground a bit over 2 years, so it has never been prunned. It started out in a 4" pot, so it has done well in our alkaline soil.

  • mary_lu_gw
    13 years ago

    mcr1968, glad I could be of help! I think you will find that Wine and Roses Weigela are very easy to grow. It just takes time. We started our garden in 2002 and it is still a work in progress. At this time of year I start to wind down and do not spend as much time working in the garden as I know that winter is not far off.

    I think most gardeners are "garden stalkers", always enjoying seeing what others have planted and how they've planted it. I do have a web page that shows the garden from the beginning and documents our progress. If you would like to "stop by for a visit" please do so anytime. :-) Link below.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Our gardens

  • mcr1968
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks again everyone for all your help. And thank you mary lu for the link. As soon as I get home from work tonight, I'll grab me a cup of coffee and take a stroll through your garden.

    plantmaven: When I first came to gardenweb in June, you introduced me to lasagna gardening. I've been doing alot of reading up on it and I think I'm ready to give it a try. Wish me luck!

  • plantmaven
    13 years ago

    Yes, I wish you luck. Once you get it down, you will kick yourself for all the digging you once did. LOL!

    Now is a good time to begin, as it will have the winter months to decompose.

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