Pruning Weigela: when & how?

To allow Weigela to develop to its full potential, it should be cut back regularly. Here, we reveal when and how to prune it perfectly.

Weigela (Weigela) is native to the Far East of Asia, but with its pronounced abundance of flowers in shades of white, pink and red on its overhanging branches it quickly became popular with gardners in Europe, too. Thus, the pruning-tolerant plant made its way to England as early as 1845, and from here it effortlessly conquered the gardens of Central Europe. From the ten or so known species, over time far more than a hundred different varieties developed, which have something in store for every taste. To ensure that your Weigela produces a striking floral display year after year, we have put together the most important tips on pruning Weigela here.

When to prune Weigela?

The right time for pruning Weigela depends to some extent on the purpose. Old and also withered wood should be cut off mostly at the end of February. If neglected over many years, Weigela can even be radically rejuvenated at this time and cut back to short branch stumps. The shrubs are able to grow from basal adventitious buds. To rejuvenate your plant, choose a frost-free and preferably cloudy day to prevent damage to the cutting surface due to frost and sun.

In summer, on the other hand, only minor interventions are possible, because Weigelas provide valuable habitats for a myriad of animal species. At this time, therefore, pruning should be limited to just shaping plants, if you wish to do so. The right time for this is straight after flowering, i.e. towards the end of June. This pruning can help your Weigela to become more compact, but it is not essential.

How often should Weigela be cut back?

In principle, the Weigela does not need to be cut back. As a so-called mesotonic shrub, it grows less in height, but more in width. It can reach a height of around two metres and a width of between two and three metres. Cutting back the plant, however, helps to prevent balding and encourages increased flowering. In addition, regular pruning keeps Weigela compact.

Therefore, pruning to rejuvenate the plant is recommended around once every two years in late winter. Pruning to keep the plant in shape can be carried out every year.

Pruning Weigela: instructions

Before pruning Weigela – as with other plants – you should first pay special attention to your tools. They should be sharp in order to be able to produce smooth cutting edges. In this way, the plant is not unnecessarily injured and fungi and other pests have less chance to penetrate the wounds. Naturally, a certain amount of hygiene is also called for. Therefore, secateurs and saws should be clean. Especially if you have previously used the tools to cut diseased woody plants, it may be worth cleaning them beforehand. Another method of ensuring that the cut wounds do not become an entry point for harmful organisms is to prune at an angle. This way, water does not remain on the surface and the wounds dry well after each rain.

Rejuvenation pruning for Weigela

First, cut all the withered branches of your Weigela directly at the base as far down as possible. Any dead branches can also be cut back to the nearest branch fork. Since old wood is less likely to flower than new wood, it is also advisable removing any old branches. Therefore, leave all one to five year old shoots and remove only the old shoots. Since the shrub flowers in May on the perennial shoots. radical pruning would lead to the plant producing no flowers this year.

Top pruning Weigela

A gentle top pruning after the shrub has flowered at the end of June can contribute to a more compact growth. To achieve this, you can cut back the withered shoots to the next node or dormant bud. This will not jeopardise the second bloom in the autumn because this takes place on this year’s wood.