Weigelia

How to grow Weigelia

Written by the GardenDecoded editorial team · Last reviewed 21 July 2026 · Written for UK gardens · How we research our guidance

Planting

Plant autumn or spring in a sunny border. It is undemanding about soil and copes with most garden conditions, but flowers thinly in real shade.

Pruning

Prune straight after flowering, cutting the stems that have just flowered back to a strong new shoot lower down. Also remove one or two of the oldest stems at ground level each year, or plants become a thicket of unproductive wood.

Propagation

Softwood cuttings in early summer or hardwood cuttings in late autumn; both root easily.

Pests and diseases

Generally trouble-free. Capsid bug damage sometimes shows as small ragged holes in the young leaves.

Value to wildlife

The tubular flowers are visited by bees, though it is not a standout wildlife plant.

Notes

There is often a lighter second flush of flowers in late summer if the plant is pruned promptly after the main display. Purple- and variegated-leaved forms need more sun to hold their leaf colour.

This guidance was researched and written by GardenDecoded — see our editorial policy for how guides are checked and reviewed.

Other names for this plant

These names have all been used for Weigela florida but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.

Others in Weigela