Weigela
Weigela in the Moosey Shrubbery
Shrubs which flower in late spring are easy to take for granted - the rhododendrons are busy showing off, and the roses are starting to bloom. This beautiful red-flowering Weigela deserves to be noticed more.
Septic Shrubbery?
The Weigela lives in the Septic Tank Garden in a real shrubbery - with a deciduous Azalea, a pink Camellia, and a summer flowering Hypericum as neighbours. These plants were already planted in the garden ten years ago when we came to live at Mooseys - they would have been part of a typical traditional country garden planting scheme.
This large shrub is happily in flower on the fence-line at the same time as the single climbing rose Sparieshoop and the fluffy Constance Spry start to flower - both roses are big and bright mid-pink in colour.
Colour Echoes
Over the fence in the side Pond Paddock garden I've recently planted a wine-red flax (evocatively called Merlot) and a dark red weeping maple. With the Weigela flowering high above in the background the colour combinations in late spring are just beautiful.
Everything looks so well designed! The red-flowering Weigela obviously needs colour echoes to be fully appreciated.
Weigela in Flower
The flowers are absolutely beautiful in close-up, as you can see from the photograph.
Update - 2021
OK. As happens from time to time in my garden, the weigela proved to be short-lived. Just a few months ago I purchased a replacement - a burgundy leafed Weigela called 'Wine and Roses'. It's planted over in one of the Pond Paddock gardens. Hope it likes things there!