Searching for the Flowers of our Youth

By Ron Dieter, Sunnyfield Greenhouse & Gardens

April 7, 1999

When I hear spring mentioned, my mind conjures up pictures of daffodils, violets and flowering trees and shrubs. After a long dreary winter season, the flowers of spring are a welcome sight.

Right now in our area, the bright yellow flowers of Forsythia are beginning to come forth. I believe even the old varieties will bloom nicely this year because the winter was mild with no late cold snaps to kill the flower buds. If you want to plant Forsythia in your landscape, I suggest one of the newer varieties bred to produce cold-tolerant flower buds.

One such cultivar, Forsythia ‘Northern Gold’ will provide a good show most every spring. Another, F. ‘Meadowlark’, is a good one too. As I will remind you often, if the tag just says, "Forsythia", it is probably an old fashioned variety needing mild winters to yield any flowers.

Forsythia is one of those shrubs that most of us remember from childhood. Many times we would cut some branches in late winter and force them to flower inside. Maybe it was to reassure ourselves that spring would eventually come.

Today baby boomers are getting a twinge of nostalgia causing a renewed interest in the flowering shrubs that blossomed in gardens past. Along with Forsythia, another shrub, Weigela, (pronounced wye-GEE-la), is enjoying an encore performance.

Weigela florida has always been valued for its lovely flower show in late May and June, and sometimes again in the fall. The funnel-shaped flowers appear in clusters of three to five along graceful slender branches. When a weigela is in full bloom, the flowers hide most of the foliage making a spectacular show.

Weigelas perform best in full sun but will tolerate some morning shade. They’ll grow in most soil types as long as drainage is good. One of the easiest shrubs to grow, weigelas require a good pruning each spring after flowering. Cut away one third of the oldest wood to the ground and make a clip here and there on the newer growth to maintain shape. Insects are seldom a problem and weigelas are not prone to mildew, the scourge of old fashioned lilacs around here.

There are many new varieties available today that have been specially bred for superior flowering and leaf color. Again, when selecting a weigela for your landscape, look for a named variety.

Weigela florida ‘Red Prince’ has rich green foliage offset by abundant deep red flower trumpets. You can expect ‘Red Prince’ to grow six to eight feet tall, depending on location.

Weigela florida ‘Java Red’ is so named because of the handsome maroon foliage, not the rosy colored flowers emerging from deep red buds. ‘Java Red’ is a little smaller than ‘Red Prince’.

If you don’t have room for a regular size weigela, try a pint-sized version, Weigela florida ‘Minuet’. It is an excellent dwarf form that gets about two feet tall and a little wider. The flowers are ruby red and the foliage is deep green blushed with purple.

There is even a variegated form, Weigela florida ‘Variegata’ to provide some color all season. Delicate pink flowers appear in late spring and rich green leaves edged in creamy white and pale yellow lend an elegant touch to the border in summer.

I would not plant the larger weigelas as foundation plants near the house. They look best when used in a mixed shrub border, along a fence, or as a background for a flower garden.

Most spring shrubs bloom in white, yellow, pink, or lilac colors. The red flowers of Weigela offer a welcome contrast.