The weigela is a beautiful flowering shrub that delights the hobby gardener's eye with its countless delicate flowers in May and June. It needs a pruning after the end of the flowering period and thanks you for it with a second flower. We explain what needs to be taken into account when caring for it.
When to cut the weigela? Remove dead flowers in June
The right time for a caring cut is in early summer, after the end of the flowering period. The reason for this is very simple – the weigela blooms on old wood. Pruning in summer means cutting the tree before it has formed its flower buds for next year.
Cutting weigela after flowering: Give the flowering bush a shape cut
By pruning it carefully in summer, you can keep the lushly flowering shrub compact. The overgrown weigela poses a problem in the garden because it can crowd out or shade nearby perennials, flowers and bushes. However, you should proceed carefully and shorten the bush by a maximum of a third. This means the shrub can recover well until autumn, sprout beautifully and form flower buds. The young shoots are well cured before the first frost and the plant is not at risk of freezing in winter.
Rejuvenate old weigela
The weigela needs pruning every year. Old bushes in particular can age if they are not cut regularly. The tree produces fewer leaves and flowers each year until it becomes completely woody. To prevent this, it should be cut back annually. The oldest shoots are completely removed and the rest are shortened by a third. If you complete this task in midsummer, you can look forward to countless flowers next year.
Encourage a second bloom in summer
Pruning in June offers another crucial advantage – it enables a second flowering in late summer. Certain varieties such as “Red Prince” and Weigela “Alexandra” can rebloom from August to September with proper care. This includes pruning after the first flowering. In this case, you only remove what has faded and only shorten the old shoots. This year's wood will not be cut because flower buds that have not yet opened are forming there. To do this, you can thin out the bush a little.
Cutting weigela: Instructions for caring summer pruning for St. John's Day
Cut healthy flowering bushes
- the old branches/main shoots over 3 years old – cut off close to the ground
- Shorten this year's wood without side shoots to a maximum of a third.
- If necessary, thin out the weigela, including all diseased or woody shoots
- Remove vertically growing shoots regularly
With a caring topiary
- Shorten the tree by a third. Cut old wood back to 20cm above the ground.
- Thin out young shoots.
- Completely remove any cross-growing shoots.
- Thin out the shrub if necessary.
- Cut off diseased shoots, leaves and flowers.
Raise young plants
- Shorten young plants by half immediately after planting in the garden.
- This pruning in June promotes budding and flower formation.
In addition, you must remove any diseased, woody, yellow or wilted parts of the plant.
It is best to cut in the afternoon, just before sunset. This gives the weigela enough time to recover. The fresh cuts could burn if pruned in the morning. A variant would be to shade the weigela after cutting and thus protect it from the direct rays of the sun.
Cut and fertilize weigela
To encourage a second flowering, you can additionally fertilize and water the weigela. This means it can better absorb the nutrients from the soil that it needs to produce flowers again. Compost, which is incorporated directly into the root area, is ideal for outdoor plants. TheWeigela in potsare supplied with liquid fertilizer.
Propagate weigela via cuttings and planters
Immediately after pruning in summer is the best time to propagate the weigela. The shrubs that you get in the garden center are mostly hybrids and can only be propagated via cuttings or offshoots.
The best way to propagate is through cuttings. Cut off pieces about 15 cm long from young shoots. Cut the lower end of the cuttings diagonally and leave two pairs of leaves on the plants. Then stick them in potting soil up to the first leaf node and water the substrate generously. Never let it dry out over the next few weeks and months. Overwinter the cuttings in the greenhouse and then plant them out in the spring.
Alternatively, you can propagate the weigela using planters. For this purpose, bend a young shoot and fix it to the ground. Wait for it to form roots and then cut off the sinker.
