Variegated Weigela in My Garden

Variegated Weigela in my garden is a favorite shrub of mine in spring. The bright pink flowers in late April explode on the green and yellow variegated leaves encouraging the bees and hummingbirds to visit each flower. Variegated Weigela (Weigela florida ‘variegata’) is a fast grower here in zone 7 reaching heights of over 8′ tall and 6′ wide in the red clay acidic soil under the huge Oaks around my house. It is somewhat drought tolerant and recovers after the long dry spells here in Virginia.Variegated Weigela thrives in the morning sun and dappled afternoon shade and from Mid March through November brightens up the side of my house with its arching stems covered in green leaves outlined with a pale yellow. Variegated Weigela sometimes reblooms in early summer with a few clusters of its bright deep pink blooms.

The variegated Weigela grows in zones 5-8 and is best planted in the spring or summer so you can give it a chance to take root and bloom next season. I dig a hole about 2-3″ larger than the pot and no deeper than the root ball so you can set the new plant in the hole and with the soil level of the pot and the ground level with each other. Make sure you water the new planting every day in hot weather the first month and for the first season make sure to not let the plant dry out while it is getting established.

I have 3 variegated Weigelas which I do not fertilize or prune (unless there is a dead branch). There really is no special care for these easy care shrubs- except you could prune them after they are done blooming to encourage reblooming. I have witnessed my variegated Weigela grow as much as a foot in the spring time and have not had any insect/pest problems.

The plant tags on the Variegated Weigela may say 4-6′ and this is an estimation. My variegated Weigela if you can tell from the picture are at least 8′ if not 9′ tall next to the Arborvitae privacy hedge and about 15′ away from the base of an Oak. I do test the growing adaptability of many plants in my garden and this shrub has proven its worth to grow carefree attracting the bees and hummingbirds. PLUS the deer do not eat it (or at least have not yet in 7 years).

Thanks for stopping by and if you have a place to plant this beauty in your garden – do it. They also mix great in a privacy hedge of evergreens to give you spring blooms and seasonal color through the green and yellow variegated leaves. If you ever have a question, contact me and I will do my best to answer it.