what do the buds look like ...

i wouldnt be too concerned about ugly leaves.. this time of year...

it would be nice to know.. where you and the plant are

ken

I attached a picture, im in WI. I guess Im worried by the leaf fall and browning because compared to my Variegata in my backyard, that one is still full and green. Is it the new planting? Or typical for this type of weigela (monet)? Im new to gardening...

This post was edited by gmcaw85 on Sun, Oct 26, 14 at 12:53

In my yard, all but the evergreens and the plants that hold leaves particularly late are relatively sparse by now, so I wouldn't worry too much. New plants such as yours have lived under different conditions in the nursery than in your yard. You don't say if the W. variegata is new or old, but regardless, I wouldn't expect it to behave the same way as the new My Monet. It's a different selection and has different conditions, so won't behave the same way.

I wouldn't water it any more without checking the soil under the plant. It doesn't have much in the way of leaves left, and so isn't losing moisture. Plunge your finger into the soil and see if it feels moist. It is probably fine now until spring as far as water, but check it once a week or so until the ground starts to freeze and water only if the soil no longer feels moist. Where I've done gardening in WI (Madison area) the soil is quite clay-ey in texture, and so overwatering is more likely to be an issue than underwatering at this time of year.

What did the roots look like when you took this plant out of the pot? If it had a thick layer of roots wrapping around the outside, in general it is best to unwrap or break up the roots some so that they grow outward. However, after a month in the ground and this late in the year, I don't think digging it up would be a good idea. Just leave it and see what it looks like in the spring. It looks like you gave it a good layer of mulch which will help keep the soil from going through many freeze-thaw cycles. Once the soil is cold, it should stay cold until spring, which is a good thing. Repeated freeze/thaw cycles can heave a plant out of the soil.

I get tip dieback on the branches of some, but not all Weigelas. I don't grow this particular variety, so I don't know how this one does with cold weather. It is short enough that with good snow cover, winter temperatures may not be an issue. Many variegated plants prefer morning only sun, with bright shade during the time of day when the sun is most intense. You didn't say where your shrub is located, so this might be an issue if it gets mid-day and afternoon full sun.

Let us know next spring how it did.

Thank you for your reply!
I am a little worried about all my shrubs I planted, our house faces southwest and seems to get LOTS of sun all day...but when I had these plans designed by the local garden center they knew this and still recommended on the Monet, Boxwoods, eunoymous and a hydrangea shrub. Maybe they werent really taking it all into account...
I wanted the evergreens against our porch for winter interest but from what I read they will get burned in the winter sun so I plan on covering them with burlap or something similar in December-beginning of March.
I hope these plants make it, we did a complete revamp of our front bed, we had moved here in Feb and what came up in spring was an overgrown disaster of huge Obediants, daffidols and iris and WEEDS galore just all over, totally neglected bed. One shrub, a bridal boquet, was very old and established (we removed it), so schrubs can flourish here but Im still a little worried! (this picture was taken soon after planting at end of Sept)