Weigela belongs to the Honeysuckle family. Ornamental shrub loves sunny meadows, protected from drafts. It blooms at the beginning of summer, so it is often used to decorate garden areas. It is important to properly plant, care for and propagate shrubs so that they constantly grow and delight the eye with their flowering in your garden area. Let's take a closer look at how to plant and care for the plant, as well as how to propagate weigela to decorate the garden.
In weigela large flowers, which can grow either singly or in collected inflorescences. The flowers are hidden in the axils of the leaves and in young shoots. The flowers do not smell, but they look nice and attractive.
Weigela can be white, pink, soft cream, bright red, purple or scarlet. The color of flowers changes as they bloom and wilt. Therefore, at the beginning of flowering, bushes can bloom in one shade, and towards the end of flowering - in completely different shades.
Some varieties of shrubs have unusual leaves. They have a cream edging on a green velvety background. In autumn, the crown acquires a crimson burgundy or bright purple color. Weigela grows to a height of two meters. The bush blooms twice a year in large bright flowers: in May and September. If favorable conditions for growth and reproduction are created for the shrub, it can live for about 30 years, blooming with its beautiful flowers every year.
Amateur flower growers most often grow the following varieties and types of weigela:
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There are many more types and varieties of weigela that are grown in different countries.
It is recommended to plant weigela in fertile, structured, moisture-absorbing soil. For planting, it is better to choose sunny open areas, but also protected from drafts and northern winds. The shrub does not like lowlands with large accumulations of water, acidic, heavy soils, or drafts.
If you plant weigela in the fall, it will disappear. Therefore, it is recommended to plant shrubs in early spring. Holes for bushes should be 50x50 centimeters in size. At the bottom of each hole, place superphosphates and potassium salt in an amount of 50 grams of each ingredient. If the soil is sandy, it needs to be diluted with humus.
When planting seedlings in the ground, do not bury the root collar. It should be located at ground level. Be sure to mulch the circles of seedlings near the trunks with cut grass or sawdust.
When planting low-growing weigela bushes, be sure to leave a distance of 1 meter between them. And when planting tall bushes, the distance between them should be 2 - 3 meters.
Caring for weigela bushes is as follows:
If you cut off a flowering sprig of weigela, it will remain in the vase for a very long time. Can be used to decorate the garden different varieties weigels, planting them in different parts of the territory.
Weigela propagation is carried out using seeds, cuttings, shoots or shoots. Experienced gardeners know which variety can be propagated by seeds, and which is best propagated by cuttings.
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In April or May, seed propagation of the plant can be carried out.
Prepare your garden soil by mixing it with peat. Place the prepared soil in spacious boxes and moisten it well. Sow the seeds and cover the boxes with film to preserve desired temperature for pipping the first shoots.
As soon as leaves appear on the sprouts, the film can be removed. The first seedlings can be seen 14 days after sowing the seeds in the ground. A month after this, they can be transplanted into open ground. After the first leaves appear and just before planting in the ground, it is necessary to pick young bushes. Dig up young bushes in the first autumn before the onset of the first frost and plant them in a cool, ventilated room. Hide the rhizomes in burlap, which must be systematically moistened. Next spring, the plants are planted in open ground.
Seedlings planted from seed may bloom with red flowers rather than the pink flowers you expect. Since it is very difficult to guess which flowers a shrub will have in a given case when propagated by seed.
Bend the nearest branch towards the ground. Make a cut in the bark and process special means for rapid root formation. Cover the cut area with soil.
Next spring, if the seedling has taken root, it can be carefully separated from the mother bush and transplanted to permanent place growth. Young plants must be covered for the winter.
For vegetative propagation, semi-woody cuttings from adult bushes or young shoots are used.
Take cuttings from last year's bushes. Remove all leaves from the shoots and treat them with a special means for quick rooting.
Prepare peat or peat-sand soil for the seedlings. In July or August, plant each cutting in open ground. Planting is carried out according to the 40x10 centimeter pattern.
For quick rooting of cuttings, as well as their resistance to external factors follow these rules:
Cuttings are carried out in summer or autumn. But weigela is best propagated by summer cuttings. The propagation procedure by cuttings is carried out as follows:
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After 30 days, gradually place pebbles under the bottle so that the plants gradually get used to the ambient temperature.
The following year, plants planted by cuttings can be transplanted to a permanent place of growth.
In order for weigela to propagate by cuttings and bloom perfectly, it is important to listen to the following tips:
Thanks to cuttings, the shoots germinate easily and completely. They bloom 2 years after planting. Using cuttings, you can predict what flowers the bushes will bloom. Winter cuttings are similarly cut from adult overwintering plants. In autumn, rooted cuttings can be planted in open ground. Weigela bushes planted by cuttings must be dug up in the first year of growth in a permanent place for wintering and stored in a cool room, constantly maintaining the moisture of the roots. In spring they can be planted back into the ground.
Now you know what weigela propagation is, how the bushes are grown, and what care they need. Each variety of weigela has its own breeding characteristics. That's why experienced flower growers Weigela is propagated either by shifts or cuttings. It is important to know both options in order to grow beautiful bushes in your garden.
We consider ways to propagate weigela. We describe how to propagate shrubs by cuttings and seeds step by step, as well as recommendations from experienced gardeners.
Weigela can be propagated by seeds and by vegetative means reproduction. Seed and vegetative propagation have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Seed propagation
Growing weigela from seeds has a number of advantages: such a plant grows more viable, resistant to sudden changes weather conditions and well adapted to the local climate, and can also be grown large quantity copies per season.
Disadvantages: plants take longer to develop and bloom in the fourth year, the growing process is more complex, seeds can only fully ripen in the south of Russia and then mainly of winter-hardy species, but in the northern regions this is almost impossible.
Vegetative propagation
This is the only propagation method that is used to preserve the purity of the variety. Weigela can be propagated by layering, dividing the bush and cuttings. Layers of the bush do not take root well; dividing the bush is very difficult.
Therefore, according to the magazine “Festival of Flowers”, cuttings are the simplest and most convenient way reproduction. At the same time, it can be propagated by both winter (spring) and summer cuttings (summer).
In winter-hardy species, the seeds ripen by the end of October - beginning of November, but in the Korean weigela, pleasant and abundantly flowering, the seeds do not ripen often.
If you have your own seeds, it is advisable to sow them in the same fall, or at least next spring. Freshly collected seeds have a good degree of germination and do not require preliminary preparation (stratification).
After 1-2 years, germination will be 1-5%. In winter, store the seeds in a paper bag or linen bag.
Winter (lignified) weigela cuttings are last year's young shoots that have already overwintered.
The percentage of rooting of summer cuttings using root formation stimulants (Heteroauxin, Kornevin, Zircon) is more than 80, and in botanical gardens it is about 100% and significantly higher than winter ones. If your winter cuttings have taken root poorly, then do not despair and try to propagate your favorite bush with summer cuttings.
It is best to take cuttings before they begin to form. flower buds. The exact timing of harvesting cuttings depends on the climate zone and the weigela variety. Usually this is mid-May - mid-June, and for example, in the Moscow region from approximately June 5 to June 20.
At this time it is not yet so hot, it is easier for the cuttings to take root, and they will also have time to develop better before the fall. For propagation by summer (green) cuttings, young shoots that are just beginning to become lignified are taken.
Before planting and other manipulations with weigela, you should find out whether it will take root on your site. In general, weigela is a bush from the honeysuckle family that has a lush crown and bell-like flowers. warm shades: carmine, pink, yellow and caramel. But is it possible to grow this luxurious, unpretentious shrub anywhere?
IN wildlife weigela grows in the southeast of Eurasia, the Russian Far East and the remote island of Java. Due to these distribution patterns, weigela can be difficult to grow in cold regions. Weigela needs partial shade or light sunlight.
Flowers and fragile leaves are easily damaged by gusts of wind, so it is best to plant the bush so that it is protected by the house on at least one side. But the distance between the house or weigela and other bushes should exceed 150 centimeters.
Remember that weigela develops well in black soil and other fertile species soil and does not tolerate moisture. The depth of the hole is at least 50 centimeters. Place a 15-centimeter layer of drainage on its bottom, and humus, river sand and a small amount of drainage are suitable for making up the soil mixture.
Weigela reproduces in several ways: by seeds, young shoots, natural shoots and by cuttings. It is the latter method that we will talk in more detail.
Experienced gardeners know how to propagate weigela from cuttings. But it can be difficult for beginners to take cuttings correctly and select viable ones.
If you are cutting a cutting from a young green shoot, make the cut under a bud or node. The tissues in this area are more resistant to the action of bacteria and fungi. When choosing a stronger shoot for cuttings, try to make a cut in the middle of the internode.
It is worth noting that from any weigela shoots you can cut a stalk with a bud and a leaf (if there are more of them, remove the smaller or most painful ones).
But pay attention to the length of the cutting: it should fluctuate between 2.5 centimeters and 4. Make the top cut as close as possible to the bud itself, do not leave something akin to a hemp on the trunk.
If weigela loses too much juice, there is a risk of clogging of the conducting vessels. There is a possibility of plant death from dehydration. To avoid this, treat the incision site. Wipe it down immediately paper napkin, immerse the Weigela cutting in water at room temperature.
Keep the plant in water until the juice secretion process stops. To speed up root formation, make light cuts near the bottom of the cutting. Proper cutting is a guarantee of the health of the future bush, so approach the process with all seriousness and responsibility.
To successfully propagate weigela by cuttings in the spring, look for green ones. The fact is that those covered with the first bark take about 5 years to take root. Spring breeding should be carried out at the end of April or at the beginning of May, it all depends on the natural area in which you are located.
Give the plant water twice a day and ventilate it regularly. Under such conditions, the cutting should last about 45 days. For transplantation into open ground personal plot The weigela cuttings will be ready only after 1.5 years of growth. Of course, it will be a little cramped for him in the pot. Therefore, be prepared to transplant the future bush into a large and fairly deep container.
Summer-autumn cuttings are also used. In fact, it is not inferior to the autumn look, so the choice depends only on individual conditions.
Usually summer cuttings(and autumn, as its continuation) are produced from the second half of July. The signal to start will be the end of the weigela flowering, and cuttings will have to be postponed if the foliage begins to change its usual dark green color.
At proper care With regular care, the weigela bush will live for at least three decades. Every year it will delight you with its flowering or even serve as a hedge. It's worth trying for such long-lasting beauty!
Weigela is a deciduous shrub of the honeysuckle family. Wild varieties live in eastern and southeastern Asia, the Far East and the island of Java. Decorative weigela is very popular in Europe, where it often decorates homestead areas, parks and gardens. In our climatic conditions gardeners can rightfully be proud of the presence of weigela on their site, as they can grow and preserve flowering plant Not everyone succeeds.
To grow this shrub, it is not enough to choose the right variety; it is important to take into account the characteristics of the microclimate and provide the weigela with proper care. Decorative weigela is moisture-loving and loves well-lit spaces, although it takes root well in the shade of sparse tree crowns. True, flowering in the shade will be weak, and the seeds will ripen late. The flower does not tolerate wind, especially from the north, so you need to choose protected places for growing.
IN garden design weigels are planted in hedges, in clumps or singly; low-growing species look great on alpine roller coaster. Weigels can be combined into groups, mixed with other shrubs (barberry, spirea, buldenezh) or with junipers.
With proper care, weigela can bloom twice a year - in May-June and in August-September. The second flowering is not very lush, but at the end of May the branches are completely covered with white, yellow, pink or red bell flowers. The color of the petals of this flower changes: young inflorescences gradually acquire a rich color.
Weigela is planted in the ground in the spring. The earth should warm up, but the buds are not yet swelling at this time. After autumn planting, shrubs often die in the first winter. Find an elevated, well-lit area on the south side of the house. Please note that in a draft, the shrub is unlikely to bloom or will fall off at the bud stage.
Weigels love loose and rich soil with humus - loamy or sandy loam with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction. Of all the types of shrubs, only Middendorf's weigela grows on peaty soil. Seedlings older than three years are suitable for planting.
Weigela needs loose and permeable soil. Excessive moisture for shrubs is contraindicated; do not plant bushes in areas where water stagnates for a long time after floods or groundwater fit too high. Make acidic soil before planting the bush (in autumn).
Advice. Many seedlings autumn planting do not take root, so postpone the procedure until early spring, burying the seedlings at an angle and covering most of the crown with soil.
When preparing a hole for planting, the quality of the soil is taken into account. In rich soil, a depression of 30-40 cm is sufficient; if the soil is poor, the depth should be increased. Create improved conditions for the plant by placing on the bottom:
The bush will take root easier if you treat the roots with a root formation stimulator.
For large varieties weigels need free space so that they can develop normally. When planting several bushes, place them at a distance of at least one and a half meters. For small varieties, a gap of 70-80 centimeters will be quite sufficient.
Carefully straighten the roots of the seedling and make sure that no voids form when you fill the soil.
Attention! Do not bury the root collar more than 2 centimeters so that after the soil settles it will be flush with the surface.
When the seedlings are placed in the ground, water thoroughly and mulch the area. The seedlings should be watered abundantly for another 3-4 days. If the summer is dry, water the young bushes regularly; next year the watering may be more moderate.
Caring for weigela is easy: moderate watering, removing weeds, loosening the soil, fertilizing and pruning. This plant needs no more attention than many other flowering shrubs.
In a mulched area, frequent watering is not required. After a winter with little snow, especially when the shoots are frozen, in the spring the bushes are watered abundantly - 10 liters of water for each plant. The same watering regime is followed in dry, hot summers - a bucket of water every week. To provide air access to the root system and remove weeds, carefully loosen the soil around the bush without damaging the roots.
Important! If the bush is located in a dry area, aphids can settle on it, affecting the leaves and young branches. Keep an eye on the plant and regularly wash it with a strong stream of water.
If, when planting bushes, you added nitrophoska and compost to the soil, you do not need to fertilize it in the next two years. In the third year, you should begin to stimulate the growth of leaves and shoots. To do this in the spring, when the snow has not yet completely melted, it is advisable to apply fertilizer under the bushes:
You can fertilize with ammophoska, diammophoska, Kemira-Lux or other fertilizer with phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen.
The second feeding will be useful when developing buds at the end of spring. Superphosphate (30 g per bush) is suitable. After this, the weigela will bloom luxuriantly, and the branches will strengthen for winter.
Before autumn digging, carry out a third feeding with wood ash (200 g per square meter). “Kemira – Autumn” works well, the dosage is indicated in the instructions.
Attention! After each feeding, water the bush generously and spray with soapy water and alcohol.
Weigela, like all shrubs, needs regular pruning. Sanitary pruning is carried out on young bushes. In early spring, cut off frozen, broken and unnecessary branches.
Mature plants require pruning to form a bush. When the first flowering ends, carefully trim the plant. This must be done before new shoots appear, on which flowers will bloom at the end of summer. If you were unable to prune the bush in time, skip the summer trimming, otherwise there will be no second flowering.
The third pruning is carried out once every three or four years to rejuvenate the bush. Remove all old branches (3 years or more), and shorten by a third. Stimulating pruning promotes the appearance of young shoots and prevents diseases that could settle in the bark of old branches. You can give the weigele a radical shake-up by cutting off all the shoots - after which the bush will quickly recover.
Advice. Between spring and autumn blooms, lighten mature bushes by trimming old shoots at the base.
Do not take literally the recommendations to replant plants, especially garden plants, in the spring. We are talking about replanting only when absolutely necessary: in case of an unsuccessfully chosen location, unsuitable soil, shade, etc. If replanting is necessary, it should be done in the spring, but do not replant the plants every year.
Dig out the weigela very carefully, try to preserve the roots as much as possible. Clean and Inspect root system, check for signs of disease, decay, plaque and other pathological changes. If you see that the roots are very damaged, there is no point in replanting the bush; it is better to grow a new plant from a cutting.
Advice. If you dig up a plant and find that its roots are intertwined in a tangle, try to untangle them without damaging them..
Do not replant the bush in the fall, since the probability of survival in this case is too low - the roots will not be able to take root and will die.
The shrub can be propagated by seeds, cuttings and layering.
The seeds ripen in September, by November the capsules crack and collection can begin. seed material. Tie a few seed pods with gauze and cut them off when the seeds are completely ripe. Shake the contents onto paper and dry. Place the dried seeds in a paper bag and set aside in a dark, dry place until spring. The seeds remain viable for 1-2 years, but weigels grown from seeds almost never retain the varietal characteristics of their parent.
At home, you can sow seeds in a pot and create greenhouse conditions for them. In spring the shoots will emerge; leave the strongest ones until next year. Then the seedlings can be transplanted into a schoolhouse or planted under an adult bush for two years. The process, as you can see, is complex and long, and the result is unpredictable. We recommend propagating weigela vegetatively.
It is much easier to propagate weigela with young green shoots, semi-lignified cuttings, shoots from a stump and layering.
Cut off young shoots of the current year, cut off the leaves completely or leave half sheet plate. Treat one edge of the cutting with a root formation stimulator.
The green cuttings are planted at the end of June. Prepare the soil from peat and sand, upper layer– sand (3 cm). It is enough to deepen the cutting by 1 cm and cover it with a cut plastic bottle or film. Every day, let the cuttings breathe by raising the cover for several hours. The probability of rooting of a green cutting is very high, there are almost no failures.
Weigela grown in this way begins to bloom after two years. In order for the plant to develop more actively, it is recommended to cut off the buds.
In early spring, cut off the semi-lignified cuttings. This must be done before the leaves begin to bloom. Treat the end with a rooting stimulator. You can plant the cuttings in a pot or in open ground. In the second case, choose a slightly shaded place. Cover the cutting with a jar and ventilate it daily. Growing weigela from a semi-lignified cutting is somewhat more difficult than from a green shoot. If a new shoot appears after a month, it means that rooting has occurred and the cutting can be pinched.
With this method of propagation, rooting occurs in the same way as in the cases described above.
This shrub, like many others, often grows branches inclined to the ground. Bend such a shoot and scratch the bark where it touches the soil. Lubricate with root formation stimulator, pin and sprinkle with soil. Next year you will receive a full-fledged seedling. Disconnect the cuttings from the bush and place them in the designated place.
This method is usually used to propagate herbaceous plants, but shrubs can also be divided if they have grown too much, or when transplanting.
Dig up the bush during the dormant period and wash it off the ground. Divide the plant into parts; young roots along the edges of the bush are suitable for propagation. Before planting, trim all branches so that the root system can develop without unnecessary stress. Plants after division are immediately planted in the ground.
Many varieties of this shrub are good not only for their bright tubular bell flowers, but also for their leaves. Weigela foliage is velvety, green or purple, with a white border. But the main advantage of this species is still its abundant twice flowering. The first time weigels bloom on last year's shoots, and the second flowering occurs on young branches. autumn bloom not as active as the spring one, but still the bush strewn with fluffy flowers looks extremely impressive. Flowers in pockets of leaves are collected in inflorescences on the tops of the shoots. The size of each flower can reach five centimeters.
Weigela rarely gets sick and is resistant to pests, but if there are signs of damage, urgent measures must be taken. The disease is indicated by the active falling of leaves, the appearance white plaque, spots of yellow or purple color.
Common pests of shrubs are aphids and scale insects. A timely detected problem can be easily eliminated after two treatments of the crown with any insecticide. Infusions of hot pepper, garlic or potato tops are also effective. Leaf spotting is treated with fungicides, a mixture of lime milk and copper sulfate or Topsin.
If the seedlings turn yellow and wither, their roots may be damaged by mole cricket or chafer larvae brought in with the compost. Water the soil with karbofos or actara.
It is much more difficult to overcome bacterial root canker, in which round swellings appear on the roots and harden over time. Unfortunately, we have not yet learned how to fight this disease and it is better to remove the bush before neighboring plants become infected.
The bush reaches one and a half meters. This species has leaves burgundy color and red-pink flowers. This type feels good in the conditions middle zone. Shoots quickly recover after freezing.
A dwarf shrub with variegated leaves and clusters of white, pink or crimson flowers. Slow growth, suitable for rocky gardens.
The leaves of this type of weigela are distinguished by a white border on the edges of the leaves. Reaches one and a half meters in height.
A purple variety with a dense crown. Red-brown leaves and flowers rich color with a yellow throat make this species especially popular.
Or Weigela Middendorff - the most winter-hardy species, suitable for growing in open spaces and under trees.
A group of weigela obtained as a result of hybridization. They are most adapted to the climate of the southern territories. The color of leaves and inflorescences is varied. Weigela flowers in the wild are odorless, but hybridization has made it possible to endow the inflorescences with a subtle aroma.
It is useful to treat the bush with infusions:
Spraying of plants is carried out in the evening.
If you managed to create favorable conditions and organize good care, the shrub can live up to 50 years.
The plant may not bloom in the shade; due to lack of light, the shoots become woody, and flowering becomes very sparse or absent altogether. Another reason - insufficient watering and lack of feeding. If these obstacles are excluded, pay attention to the root system; it may be damaged by pests.
After leaf fall, in October-November, the tree trunk area must be sprinkled with soil to a height of 20 cm. Bend the branches to the ground and press, being careful not to damage them. Cover the bush with roofing felt (spunbond) and strengthen the “roof” so that the wind does not tear it off in winter. The branches can not be bent, but tied together with twine, and the bush can be fenced with a net. Place dry leaves and spruce branches inside this structure. Properly insulate the structure. If you leave the weigela unprotected, the shoots will die in frost and flowering will not occur.
A plant, and even more difficult to make it bloom.
The owner must have many secrets for caring for such a sissy as weigela. Reproduction is one of them. It is not only the choice of planting site, variety and soil that is important here. Here you need, of course, extensive knowledge of the subject, but above all intuition and the ability to wait.
Types of weigela
Depending on the variety, the height of the bush varies from half a meter to two. Although in the climate of central Russia it does not grow higher than one and a half meters. The flowers are exceptionally beautiful, tubular, and come in single or umbellate inflorescences. In our country, hybrid weigela is most often grown, the reproduction of which is somewhat more often successful. Middendorf weigela, garden weigela, early weigela and Korean weigela are also found. brought from Far East, it's big enough, beautiful bush with large cream, orange-speckled flowers.
It blooms for two to three weeks in early summer and sometimes a second time in autumn. This is the most winter-hardy variety, but he also requires increased attention gardener. Weigela hybrida is created from numerous garden forms obtained by crossing different types. It is so diverse and so beautiful that it is difficult to resist buying it, especially for those who do not understand all the difficulties in caring for and growing.
Weigela: propagation, planting and care
The landing site should be protected from the wind, but at the same time be sufficiently sunny. Single plantings most often freeze out, so the most the best place- under the crowns of trees, in the openwork shade. This helps retain snow better and provides protection from the wind.
Suitable soils are humus, loose, or peat bogs. Watering should always be moderate; the bush does not tolerate waterlogging. Loosen after watering. He readily responds to feeding: in early spring, right in the snow - mineral fertilizers, in the first half of summer - again, when flowers form. In the second half of summer there is no need to feed. You can add it in September so the plant will overwinter better. Pruning is carried out as soon as the bush has finished flowering; the faded branches must be shortened. In spring, dry and frozen ones are pruned. In winter, you need to cover it before frost: surround the bush with high pegs, fill all the voids with leaves or spruce branches, and wrap it with thick film. Weigela needs to be covered especially carefully in winters with little snow. Planting should only be in early spring - in March or April. If the seedlings were purchased in the fall, it is better to simply bury them until spring.
Weigela - propagation by cuttings
This is the most common method. Wood cuttings are a long journey; you will have to wait five to six years for flowers. And weigela, the propagation of which is generally not so easy, grows best from green cuttings.
Cuttings should be carried out before bud activity begins, in April-May. A straight cut is made, cutting off 10 centimeters of the cutting, which is then treated with a growth stimulant, for example heteroauxin, the shoots are kept in a dark and warm room 12 hours, after which they are planted to a depth of half a centimeter for rooting in a mixture of sand and peat, sprinkled with sand and covered with film. The cuttings will reach their permanent location only after a year and a half. In the third year, if everything else is normal, the new bush will bloom. That's how much trouble breeding something like this brings exotic plant, like weigela. Reproduction is a very long process. But how good it is after all the effort, how decorative it is in the landscape design of the garden! The dense crown will give amazing flowers to the gardener, with the help of which weigela has overcome propagation by cuttings. The photo clearly demonstrates its exceptional decorative effect.
