Some plants just sit in a garden, or a park, for decades and remain pretty much unnoticed unless they’re flowering. The Weigela is an example of just such an old fashioned beauty.
A native of China and South East Asia, it was first brought to English gardens in 1845 by Robert Fortune, a Scottish botanist and ‘plant finder’.
When not in flower they look just like any boring old shrub, but my word! When it does flower it is worth taking notice of.
There are a couple of variegated leaf varieties such as Weigela ‘florida’ variegata and Weigela ‘praecox’ variegata. There are quite a few species that are well worth looking for.
They’re a hardy shrub in the right spot, being a well drained spot in sun to part shade. They also only need a prune after flowering to keep it in a nice shape.
This particular shrub is in the grounds of our local hospital so I wonder how many people have walked past and admired it while it was in flower. It’s growing nicely and looks really healthy so I hope it stays there for a lot longer.
Til next time!
The Flowerpot Pen 