Garden Notes

Pink Cardinal Shrub blooming happily by back door.

When we first purchased our home, I spent a year getting to know what was planted in the yard before making any big changes. Actually since we were busy working on projects inside the house, this was not really a problem.

By the second spring I was organized and ready to garden so I started moving things about in the yard. One of the shrubs I kept was a pink Cardinal Shrub or a Weigela florida. This shrub was very popular a generation or two ago, because of the showy flowers in spring and because of its extreme hardiness and ease of care. I remember admiring weigelas when I was young and I was excited to have one of my own.

We found that our weigela shrub flowered beautifully in late spring. However, when the bloom was finished, it needed to be pruned back to keep it small since it quickly outgrew the available space when left alone. With a bit of pruning, our shrub stays about 5 feet in diameter and looks great.

That was about 12 years ago and my pink Weigela still looks great and blooms every spring. It is really the perfect shrub, green and lush most of the year with spectacular flowers in spring — all with no pampering. What could be better?

Research on Weigela

• Type: Deciduous shrub
• Zone: 4 to 8
• Height: 6-10 feet
• Spread: 9-12 feet without pruning
• Bloom Time: April to June
• Rose pink
• Sun: Full sun
• Water: Medium
• Maintenance: Low
• Flower: Showy
• Attracts: Hummingbirds
• Tolerates: Clay Soil