Once the main splash of rhododendrons is over, there is a charming group of plants that fills the color gaps in our landscapes quite nicely. Named after a German botanist, Christian von Weigel, Weigelas are deciduous shrubs of open woodland areas in parts of Asia which have a multitude of foliage and flower features.

Most of our available varieties are selections or hybrids of two species: W. florida and W. praecox, although the wild forms are rarely offered. The blooms, in May and June, are tubular, in small clusters along older stems, often with nicely contrasting stamens. In blossom, they attract hummingbirds by the flock.

The "in" thing these days among plant introducers is purple leaves, starting back with 'Foiliis Purpureis' ('Java Red')...on to 'Victoria', then 'Wine and Roses' ('Alexandra'), 'Ruby Queen', and now 'Midnight Wine'! The color is getting darker, and the plant habit is getting smaller...what's next...a black groundcover Weigela? Attractive and useful plants nevertheless...most of them have pink to bright pink blooms.

The 'Dance Series', developed by Agriculture Canada, have all been selected for very compact habits, extra hardiness, and richly colored blooms. Foliage variations are from green to burgundy, with deep pink or red blooms. Look for 'Tango', 'Polka', 'Samba', 'Rumba' and 'Minuet'.

Gold-leafed forms are a bit more finicky...they need partial shade to avoid foliage burn but too much shade makes them go green so it's a fine line. 'Looymansii Aurea' has pale pink blooms, while the newer 'Briant Rubidor' (aka 'Olympiade' or 'Golden Ruby') has dark ruby flowers that offer a striking contrast. Variegated leaves, with cream to light yellow margins, occur in both species, and have pink flowers. The variegated areas take on rich pink to red tones in fall, for extra punch.

White-flowered forms are available as 'Bristol Snowflake', 'Candida', 'Mont Blanc', and others...but I must admit I don't really care for them...although 'Mont Blanc' is highly rated. Possibly I just haven't seen one at the right stage or in the right setting. A new introduction, 'Carnaval', has blooms of white and two shades of pink all at once on the same plant. That's kind of neat! For deep red, the old 'Bristol Ruby' and 'Eva Rathke', although good and reliable, have been superseded by newer, tidier, non-fading varieties like 'Red Prince', 'Lucifer', and the even smaller 'Nain Rouge'.

Weigelas grow easily in any well-drained moderate soil...and old bloomed-out stems can be cut to the ground to allow new ones to take their place. Trim right after blossoming in the early summer to keep leggy branches in order, and to give time for the wood to ripen and set bloom for next year. Some varieties will bloom off and on throughout the summer, and other appear in early summer and again in early fall.

Two unusual species, W. middendorffiana and W. maximowiczii, have light yellow flowers in late spring...most "un-weigela-like", but truthfully I have not seen either offered for sale locally. Good for you if you can fine one!

Look around in the plant centers when you've gotten all your beddings settled and your rhodos are on the wane...and you'll find one of these to be a delightful addition to your garden...big or small!

Happy Planting!