The Golfing Gardener: Wonderful Weigelia

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, April 21, 2026

The kingdom of plants is filled with many desirable shrubs, including many old-fashioned forms and newer hybrids. Gardeners (including me) love many of the numerous old school selections while also embracing newer more modern forms. One of these plants, Weigelia florida, has been a proven performer in local gardens for decades, providing showy spring flowers, excellent foliage and stunning fall color.

The original species of this shrub can be a bit unruly in all honesty. I can recall pruning one at my grandmother’s home many moons ago. Her plant had not only buried part of her garage, but it suckered extensively and seemingly required maintenance season after season just to tame it. I have not seen the straight specie around for some 30 years now, but what I do see now are a myriad of new cultivars that offer superior everything, including foliage, flower and compact growth habit. Originally native to regions of China, Japan and elsewhere in the far east, we refer to Weigelia florida (and all its cultivars) as “Old Fashioned Weigelia.” Locally these shrubs present excellent options for both deer and rabbit resistance as a bonus.

Before I go through some of my favorite modern flavors, there are few basics to keep in mind with Weigelia, in all its variations. First and foremost is pruning as these are perfect examples of an old-wood blooming plant. What does that mean? It means following one of my major rules in the world of pruning… prune after bloom. If we prune Weigelia in late summer, fall, winter, or early spring the flower buds are removed and a lack of bloom results. These should only be clipped back immediately after flowering if you desire to tidy up your specimen, allowing new growth to occur and flower buds to set for the following year’s flowers.

As far as where to grow them, choose locations with more sun than shade. They will thrive in partial to full sun but will lack flowers and struggle when in too much shade. These shrubs also must have excellent drainage, so amending with compost when planting and assuring that there is no clay or hardpan directly under them is essential. If they get too wet in heavier soil the result is root rot, and specimens will not leaf back out the following spring. An organic rose and flower type food is ideal to apply each March and June, resulting in a nice spring push of growth (March feeding) and maximum production of flower buds each summer (June feeding). Remember these are all deciduous, so vibrant fall colors will catch your eye each autumn as well.

The flowers of Weigelia are quite impressive, not just to us humans but also to our pollinating friends. Hummingbirds adore their bright tubular flowers as do the bees. Specific flavors can be found with white, pink or red flowers, and even a couple with creamy yellow ones. These blooms open profusely each spring in our climate, offering reliable flower power sometime from later April into early June depending on the location, variety and the weather. Several modern Weigelia also repeat flower in the later summer months, adding a bonus season of color. I mentioned the old wood bloom above, but in this case a few have been bred to bloom on new wood as well. Old wood flowering occurs in spring, and then they add new growth and set more buds immediately after, producing an attractive second flowering season. With pruning, again, only prune these right after the spring flowering so that they can do their thing again later summer into fall.

Modern Weigelia flavors add foliage color as a bonus as well. You will see several flavors with deep purple, bronze, variegated or bright green leaves as options. This foliage color can add some pop to any landscape design as specimens contrast nicely with other plants. Breeders like Proven Winners have introduced a number of exquisite cultivars and quality growers like Monrovia Nursery bring us even more accessible styles to choose from. Here are a few of my favorites for you to investigate this spring, all worth adding to your landscape.

‘Golden Jackpot’: This lovely variety from Monrovia sports bright golden-yellow foliage and crimson buds that open to deep pink flowers. Grows to about 4 to 6-feet tall and wide and needs sun for best foliage color.

‘Crimson Kisses’: This might be one of the prettiest from Monrovia in flower, displaying crisp green foliage and intense lipstick-red flowers with white eyes each spring. These also tend to re-bloom, extending their flowering season, and stay compact at only 3-feet tall and wide.

‘Coco Chill’: Perhaps this deep purple foliage flavor from Monrovia is for you with its combination of leaf color and deep pink flowers each spring. Its tidy and compact habit matures to only 3-feet tall and wide. If you are “Cuckoo for Coco Puffs” you will like this one.

‘Sonic Bloom Series’: This series from Proven Winners is noted for reliable repeat flowering and compact habit. Color options include pink, red, wine, pearl, and punch. All grow to about 4 to 5-feet tall and wide and are adorned with rich green leaves.

‘My Monet’: Like a painting, this Proven Winners variety displays leaves with white, green and pink highlights as well as pink blooms each spring. It is a super compact variety growing to 18-inches tall and 30-inches wide over time. Does best in part shade, but a newer version called ‘Purple Effect’ can take more sun and adds purple tones to the green, pink and white foliage. Neither should need much pruning at all!

‘Bubbly Wine’: This new variegated selection from Proven Winners glows with bright yellow and green variegated foliage accompanied by orchid colored spring flowers. Burgundy stems add even more interest and plants stay tidy at 3-feet and wide.

‘Fine Wine’: Another great Proven Winner flavor with deep purple foliage and rosy-pink flowers in spring, repeating sporadically over the summer. Grows to about 3-feet tall and 4-feet wide with an upright shape.

‘Spilled Wine’: This useful introduction from Proven Winners boasts deep purple foliage and hot pink flowers in spring. Excellent for borders as it mounds a bit, growing 3-feet tall and 4-feet wide over time.

‘Wine and Spirits’: This new addition provides serious landscape contrast with deep purplish-black foliage and bright whitish-green flowers each spring. It is a bit larger growing as well, maturing to around 5-feet tall and wide in the garden.

‘Midnight Wine’: This is perhaps the smallest of all, growing only 12-inches tall and 18-inches wide. Deep purple foliage and a dwarf habit are useful, making up for a little-less-pink bloom than some of the others. Should not need any pruning at all!

Now I am not sure if I want to go plant one now, or just sip on some good wine…

Many plants have a catchy common name, but not this one. I will let you in on a little secret that many of us, while smiling of course, refer to these more phonetically by calling them lovingly “Wigglya”, as anything with a wiggle sounds more fun, right? In all seriousness, these truly are outstanding shrubs worthy of garden consideration. A visit to the local garden center this time of year should offer several excellent Weigelia options. Speak with a Certified Professional Horticulturist and allow them to help you select the perfect one(s) for your own landscape. By following some of the simple tips above, you can cultivate these lovely plants in your own garden oasis successfully. Weigelia, in its many modern forms, offers us gardeners both multiple seasons of landscape interest and ease of maintenance. I invite you to discover wonderful “Wigglyas”, as I have, and work these useful shrubs into your own gardens.

Trevor Cameron is a Certified Professional Horticulturist (CPH) and serves as General Manager for Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville, WA. He can be reached at sunnysidenursery@msn.com.