Question About Wegelia 'Wine & Roses'

I purchased two of these in 3 gallon pots back in May from my local big box store as markdowns. I realize that I am trying to grow them slightly outside of their hardiness zone, as the tag said they were hardy to z8b (I'm in z9a), however, I planted them on the east side of my house so they only receive morning sun and so far seem to be doing really well.

My questions are:

1) Should I prune them?

2) when is the best time to prune them?

3) how do I prune them?

4) now much do I prune them?

and finally, is there anyone else attempting to grow these here in central FL?

Thanks in advance for your input.

-cue

The zones on the PF listing show 9a so you should be fine http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/55689/

Here's a few links with instructions:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4515736_prune-weigela.html
http://www.everchanginggarden.ca/PlantsPruning.html

Just follow the golden rules of pruning: removed d,d & d (dead, diseased & damaged) first, prune no more than 1/3 and prune for shape and structure.

I sold a ton of these 3/5 gallon to our local garden centres. Nice plants.

Thanks for the info! i guess i missed my chance to prune this year as they say to prune in spring.

I think you should be fine tip trimming it.

Don't see why they wouldn't grow where you are, unless it is too hot. The tag on yours makes me wonder if there are various plants of Wegelia 'Wine & Roses'. They are sold here in NY / CT and have 2 prospering in my yard, zone 6, NY. I prune them back after blooming (June) and new lshoots emerge. They do not require full sun and seem quite hardy - mine are west side, sheltered by a hedge and shade, receive noon sun. They are older plants. Also, I have lots of slugs in my yard, but they do not seem to impact this shrub. Makes nice extra in vase arrangement.

No, there's only one Wine & Roses...I think what's confusing you is that you're thinking about the coldest zone in which Weigela is hardy (which is zone 5), but cue_chik is worried about the hottest zone that it'll do well in which apparently was zone 8 according to the tag on the plant. Plant tags will sometimes list an upper limit too if some southern climates are too hot for the plant. It's a bit of a misuse of the USDA zones since they are based only on winter cold (there are plenty of places in zone 8-10 on the west coast that don't have hot summers) but there's not a widely used system of zones that give you perspective on summer temperatures, so some plant tags will use the USDA zones that way even though it's technically not appropriate.

We are 8b, very near the line for 9a, and have had very good luck with weigela. I'm not sure which cultivar I have. I bought it from one of the cheapie mail order places with a tag for "Red Weigela", but the bloom is definitely what I would call pink.

I have not pruned mine in the last couple of years and it is quite large. There are trees to the east and a house on the west, so it gets sun around mid-day and has done just fine. I've been experimenting with a rooted cutting in a pot to see how much sun it can take and have had it placed in a full sun location for the past few weeks. There seems to be no damage from the sun, but the leaves have become a light pale green, so I'll be shifting it back to a more shaded location.

I'm a little afraid of pruning since I lost a huge butterfly bush a couple of years ago after I pruned it back severely. However, this particular weigela has overgrown its space and we will either have to move it this fall or the ten plants around it that it has covered. I'll have to prune it if I put it into a pot for transplanting.

I grow Weigela in zone 4B. My question is if they should be pruned after blooming so that they will rebloom?

I have two of these in my yard and don't prune at all. They bloom twice each year. Second bloom is smaller than the first. Weigelas can be cut to the ground each year if you want small bushes. They're in that group of shrubs that grow back without a problem from hard pruning. Wine and Roses tend to be smaller anyhow - around 3-5 feet. That works out fine for me and is why I leave them alone. So while I haven't answered your question about pruning promoting a second bloom, at least you know now that a second bloom will occur without any intervention. Pruning might give a larger second bloom but have never tried it.

~Sharon
Changed height range: 5' is the maximum on the plant tag from the most recent addition.

This message was edited Aug 26, 2009 7:00 PM

Hi, I've been reading about the Weigela issues and have a question. I bought 2 Java Red Weigela at Lowes. They were on sale because they were dying. They still have green in their leaves so I think they can be saved. Can anyone tell me how to fertalize them? Thanks

A bush expert will probably come along and give you better tuned advice. The following is just based on my experiences.

Your main goal right now is to get roots established. Fertilizer is usually held back with new transplants until then. Some kind of -Tone product (PlantTone for example) or Thrive for Shrubs and Trees would help with that.

The Weigela that was planted here last month gets a 2 gallon bucket of water whenever its soil dries out. Water slowly, let it absorb into soil, water some more and so on. It's putting out new growth and flowers on water alone. It looked like a goner shortly after transplanting because initial watering was neglected for a few weeks due to some other demands on my time. Kicked myself for its demise and possible loss. A few days of keeping it moist brought it back. I waited until it perked up to remove damaged foliage. A lot of the foliage that I thought would have to be removed revived once the plant received a little bit of care.

The point of the above paragraph is although I don't know how bad the conditions of your shrubs are, I think its likely they can be saved too. These are tough little bushes and respond well to a little bit of care. Good luck!

~Sharon

Thanks so much. I'm off to Lowes to get some kind of Tone product today. My goal today is to get all the shrubs planted with TLC.

Just wanted to show everyone an update on my weigela bushes! Thanks again. They probably wouldn't be looking this great with out all your help!

Here is a link to the website of the company that owns the patent for Wine & Roses. The paragraph at the bottom tells you a little about pruning and fertilizing them.

http://www.provenwinners.com/plants/detail.cfm?photoID=7762

Most plants can be grown just outside of their recommended zone. They might not be able to reach their full potential, might grow slower or stay smaller. I am in z5a and have grown z6 plants but haven't tried going the other way yet. I don't see why it would be any different. Just give a little extra attention when needed.

thanks franknjim. It's nice to know so much about the weigela and hopefully I can take better care of them now.