Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
samnsarah

Weigela 'Wine & Roses' shrub

Tim
12 years ago

I am going to plant several Wine & Roses Weigela shrubs on the south side of my house. How far apart do I need to plant them in order to get one continuous hedge?

Comments (19)

  • flora_uk
    12 years ago

    Hey Ken - doesn't seem to a be a problem making a Weigela hedge according to these people. Click on 'all Weigela hedging' for the full range. But, plantingman, Ken's points about distance are totally valid. The distance depends on how soon you want them to join up. Weigela is really easy from cuttings, so if you are patient you can increase your stock and thicken up your hedge that way.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Weigela hedges

  • Tim
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Well, I guess the word "hedge" does produce certain mental images depending on what you are familiar with. Perhaps "hedge" isn't the correct word choice. I am not going to sheer them, but I will prune the branches a little bit after the flowers have begun to fade. I want the Wine and Roses Weigela shrubs to grow together along the south side of my house. I talked to nurseryman who is experienced with Weigelas, and he agrees that a five feet spacing between plants should be fine.

  • Embothrium
    12 years ago

    Proven Winners says this one grows 4'-5' across, so as it happens a 5' spacing would probably be good over the long term - if you want them to fill in. Otherwise, someone being familiar with weigelas in general would not have any specific bearing on this question, due to the variation in size between the different kinds.

    Of course, over time it would be expected to exceed 4'-5', it won't grow that big and then stop growing.

  • Tim
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thank you for the information. I appreciate it.
    I'm not in a real big hurry to have the shrubs fill in, so 5' should be fine for me.
    The nurseryman I was referring to (Brian) is the owner of Sooner Plant Farm in Oklahoma. Sooner Plant Farm is a great company and very nice to work with. Anyway, Brian is very familiar with Weigela 'Wine & Roses'. He estimates the average height and width to be between 4-6' based on his observations. But like you said, they will get much bigger over time, which I am not concerned about, because I have pleanty of room, and that side of my house only has one window, and the bottom of the sill is six feet off the ground. I just want to have a very nice presentation in a few years.

  • Embothrium
    12 years ago

    One thing I forgot is you might want to see about the sun there baking the color out of this one in summer. Purple weigela here (I put several kinds encountered on the local market in a sunny mixed planting on Camano Island but did not pay much attention to which each specimen was) and got some of the deterioration in leaf appearance typical of many purple foliage types. And this was in a dull climate, away from a hot wall.

  • Tim
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks. Your information is consistent with what others have said about the Weigela 'Wine & Roses'. Others have also said that this shrub needs to be in full sun in order to get the darkest purple colored leaves. My Wine and Rose Weigelas will be on the south side of my house and will get full sun from sunrise to sunset.
    I have lantanas there right now, which are thriving due to some mild winters the past few years, which I believe is the result of an extended drought. However, I'm concerned that when these mild winters eventually end, the lantanas will stop coming back.
    Anyway, thanks again for the helpful info.

  • Embothrium
    12 years ago

    Same thing with purple-leaved Japanese maples: much is made of the greening out of interior foliage that occurs in shade but I find the fading and burning that occurs in hot positions much less digestible. In a shaded specimen the purple component that remains retains its darkness and freshness plus there is not the diseased appearance produced when the leaves become burnt.

    As always it's a matter of finding the right balance, with thinking in terms of all sun or all shade being oversimplification. And humidity and soil moisture (and probably soil temperature) are involved, in my area I've seen similar or same varieties of purple Japanese maple growing on adjacent lots with the same exposure, but the one on the place with the dried out lawn looking much more over-exposed than the one near the green lawn.

  • prairiegirlz5
    12 years ago

    I live in zone 5 and have a Wine and Roses in a south facing bed, but it is shaded for part of the day by the garage it's planted next to. It might make a nice informal hedge, but I would plant them four feet apart, not five. Mine suffered from dieback as it was getting established, and it looked kind of gangly for the first year or two, they shoot out in all directions. I headed mine back at the tips right after blooming to thicken it up, give it a more uniform appearance, not a meatball, just a light trim.

    Weigela was planted between the spireas at the library where I work, I'm hoping they turn out to be Midnight Wine or I'll be moving them this summer.

  • Tim
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks for the information. I appreciate all of the advice from people who have experience with this shrub. I will still probably plant them five feet apart. I am on a limited budget so I am
    s-l-o-w-l-y building my landscape. I eventually want to plant some Sunjoy Citrus Barberry shrubs in front of the Wine & Roses Weigelas. I think the dark leaves of the weigelas will really bring out the golden color of the barberies. I would even like to eventually incorporate some large rocks into the southern landscape as well.

  • prairiegirlz5
    12 years ago

    That berberis is one I would like to try as well. I think your plan sounds spectacular. I'm a huge fan of layering shrubs.

  • whaas_5a
    12 years ago

    I had a grouping of 'Fine Wine' in southwest exposure. This cultivar is supposed to be an improvement over 'Wine & Roses'.

    In my quest for the best color purple leafed Weigela I believe 'Shining Sensation' is the winner.

    As for size, rabbits would chew my plants down every year to either a stub or perhaps a foot tall. Over the course of four years my plants where never more than 2' in width and about 3' tall. The rabbit pruning actually creating a nice shape for my plants. Somewhat of a unique situation but perhaps my experience will help with your spacing.

  • Embothrium
    12 years ago

    The key point is that these are going to be on the south side of a house - plenty of reflected heat, unless there is something present that shade the area. That's what I would want to be sure was not a problem, before putting much into such a planting myself.

  • Tim
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Yes, that reflected heat was my biggest challenge. This could be why the lantanas loved it so much. It's hard to know whay will thrive in a particular space until I've tried it. The best I can do to start out with is pick plants that have the right characteristics that will give them the best chance to succeed in that space. I try to utilize as many resources as I can when making that determination, (ie. fellow local garderners, nurseries, gardening forums such as the Garden Web, local extension office, etc.) Hopefully, the weigelas work well; if not I will move them to a different location and try something else.
    I really hope the Wine & Roses Weigelas thrive. My house is beige in color, so the dark foliage of the weigelas will really stand out.

  • whaas_5a
    12 years ago

    Mine where right against a bay window with beige aluminum siding. They had no issues with the dry soil nor the heat. Yes they did stand out color wise, even though I wasn't a big fan of the bronzy green purple.

    That was zone 5b though.

  • Tim
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I have investigated the potential of the Wine & Roses Weigelas burning from a combination of full sun and reflected heat. I was told that since I am in SC Kansas, I shouldn't have a problem with that. Now, if I lived in Texas, Georgia, or Florida where the sustained heat and sun is more extreme then I may have a problem. But I may have to talk to some people locally, who have had experience with this shrub to know for sure.

  • prairiegirlz5
    12 years ago

    It is my experience (3 years, just after "leap" year!) that once established, this shrub is carefree. The Japanese beetles either haven't found it yet, or the birds are doing a good job eating them! The foliage color is best in full sun, and they flower off and on all summer, with dark pink tubular flowers that hummingbirds love. I can't believe this shrub isn't more popular.

  • Tim
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I spoke to my local nursery man. They raise their own Weigela 'Wine & Roses' shrubs. Last summer was the hottest and driest summer in SC Kansas on record. It was worse than in the Dust Bowl days. The nursery man said that he had his young Weigela 'Wine & Rose' shrubs in pots in the full sun. (Pots tend to dry out faster than in-ground plants.) Anyway, he said that he didn't observe any scorching on any of his Weigela 'Wine & Roses', nor did he see any scorching on any of the other Weigela 'Wine & Roses' shrubs in the area.
    Basically, I can't assume what happens to the Weigela 'Wine & Roses' shrubs in Florida, Oregon, Iowa, NE Kansas, or any other geographical area is what will also happen to the Weigela 'Wine & Roses' shrubs here in SC Kansas since it is a different climate.
    And, prairiegirlz5, thanks for the information from your observations. I appreciate it.

  • WendyB 5A/MA
    12 years ago

    Another thing to know about Weigelas is that they are late to leaf out compared to other plants and their winter branch look is not the most attractive. I used to have several Midnight Wines at my front entry, but every spring I cursed at how ugly they looked until they got good and purple about July -- then I loved them. So if this side of your house is front-and-center, be prepared for the uglies off season.

    I also have Wine and Roses as well as Shining Sensation and I think Shining Sensation looks a bit nicer than W&R. The leaves are more substantial. But it is a bigger plant, so not exactly apples to apples comparison.