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Weigela pruning

jamesharcourtjamesharcourt Posts: 465
in Plants
Hello, I have an unprimed Weigela which has been in the ground about nine months.

Here is a picture, do these need to be pruned, in particular the woody growth?

Also, it is in a very much fullest of full sun position ... is this good???


Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Hi James - they don't really need pruning, but like many shrubs, you can remove bits that are dead, or crossing/rubbing another stem etc, in order to shape them a little.
    I always think they prefer a bit of shade generally, but again, like many other shrubs, they should cope with sun without too many issues as long as they don't get dried out at their feet completely.
    They're pretty tough though, and adapt very well. Some will perform better as the foliage or flowers will respond to the sunlight. It will depend on the variety. 
    Has it grown well for you, and is it otherwise healthy?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • jamesharcourtjamesharcourt Posts: 465
    It did seem to be dry and I had to water a lot during the summer as the soil around it baked and a lot of it ran off.   

    In the end I mulched (as in the picture) after puncturing the clay to get some draining going.  It started producing a few more flowers toward end of the summer / start of autumn.
  • RubytooRubytoo Posts: 1,630
    edited December 2018
    I don't always follow my own advice, but I do remove a few old thick stems every few years. This makes strong new stems and re invigorates it a bit.
    If you take too much off this time of year you tend to lose some flowering stems.
    They have a main flower early in the season and then a smaller burst later depending on how you have pruned it.

    We inherited ours and it is not in the best spot. They are lovely graceful things too often stuffed up against a fence.
    As Fairy said they are very adaptable and I think generous shrubs. Bees love the flowers.
    General advice is to remove a third of old stems.
    Hope that helps a little and does not confuse the issue.
    Sorry I just realized yours is close-ish to the fence it was not a criticism. :D
    Just a general observation been guilty myself, though our Weigela was already done deal .
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Sorry James  - I forgot to come back after you replied  :(
    I think it'll be fine, especially if you did a bit of remedial work and it was producing a few more flowers. 
    I think Ruby's right - a little judicious pruning does the world of good, but it's mainly removing problem branches, rather than the blanket pruning that many people do with shrubs, which tends to make them pudding-y shaped, and doesn't address rubbing or crossing branches. The removal of a third of old stems, as Ruby says, is always good advice with decorative shrubs. 

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • jamesharcourtjamesharcourt Posts: 465
    Thanks folks, I admit planting it at a time when I didn't really think enough (or at all) about light / soil / eventual size ... just how it looked there and then.   I think I'll leave it be and see how it goes in Spring :-)
  • GardenGrower11GardenGrower11 Posts: 312
    I've got a Weigela in relative shade and it's been coming back every year with little maintenance. Just some light pruning and reshaping, and removing some of the oldest dead wood stems. It's important to wait until after all flowering has finished.

    A third of old stems seems a bit much to me. RHS suggests 20%.

    Weigelia are in RHS pruning group 2:
    https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=197

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    If you need to prune it all, you need to do it immediately after it’s flowered as they flower on last year’s wood.  If you cut anything off now, you will lose next years flowers. 
    Its not very big, so just as Fairygirl says, take dead bits out right from the bottom just to air it a bit in the middle.
    They grow into huge shrubs eventually, and get covered in flowers. I’ve got some very nice ones in all shades.
    I wonder, if in the spring you could move it a few feet away from the fence, mine are all about 5 to 6’ across. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • jamesharcourtjamesharcourt Posts: 465
    Problem I’ve got @Lyn is a lack of space ... most of my space is right up near the fences ... is Spring the best time to move it?
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I would, dig a big hole and take a big root ball, it won’t know it’s been moved.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

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