Thanks to the spectacular appearance widely used in landscape design: for creating hedges and fancy compositions. This name combines 15 species, the most common of them:

Weigela flowering;
Weigela hybrida;
Korean weigela;
Veigel Maksimovich;
Weigel Middendorf;
Weigela profusely blooms.

This deciduous upright shrub with characteristic large leaves, does not form rapidly dying leaves side shoots. Blooms twice a year, in May and September, forming large bright flowers: red, yellow, white, yellow, purple, light pink. Interesting feature weigela is that its buds are dim in color, but over time they become bright and saturated. Even one luxurious bush of this beautiful plant with fragrant flowers will perfectly decorate your garden.

Weigela quite difficult to grow and care for, it is photophilous and moisture-loving, afraid of the north wind, and reacts poorly to changes in soil conditions. You will have to tinker with it a lot, but the result is worth it.

One of important processes growing weigela is propagation, since it has many important nuances.

How to propagate weigela?

There are two main methods of propagating weigela: wood cuttings and seeds. Most often the first one is used. Experienced gardeners recommend using for this purpose not already formed woody shoots, grown independently from large green buds.

Choosing a reproduction method in a particular case depends on the type of plant you choose. For example, Weigela Middendorf is best propagated by cuttings obtained in summer or spring. But flowering Weigela is less picky about the propagation method: plants obtained from cuttings grown in summer or winter, or from seeds, as well as from layering from a bush, take root well and bloom vigorously.

Reproduction methods

Let's consider 3 ways Weigela reproduction.

Seeds

The simplest and least time consuming way, effective for most species, is propagation by seeds. This is done in the spring, in April - May.

For growing wegeila, ordinary garden soil with the obligatory addition of peat is best suited.

Seeds are sown in moist soil; it is best to use spacious wooden boxes. Before the first shoots hatch, the temperature should be quite high: for this, each box is covered with plastic film.

After the first 1-2 leaves have appeared, the film is removed. This is done in order to gradually lower the temperature before transplanting the seedlings into open ground. The first seedlings will appear in 2 weeks, and after another month they are ready for transplanting into open ground. At this stage, it is necessary to pick young bushes twice: after the first 2 adult leaves appear, and before planting.

In the first autumn, it is best to dig up young bushes before frost sets in and move them to a cool, well-ventilated room. A basement is best suited for this. The rhizomes are wrapped in burlap, which is regularly moistened. The following spring, overwintered plants are planted again in open ground.

Please note, that when propagated by seeds obtained from existing bushes different types, the result may be quite unexpected. For example, in this case it is quite difficult to predict what color the flowers of plants obtained in this way will be.

Propagation by cuttings

The main and most common way to obtain weigela offspring is propagation by cuttings. It divided into propagation by summer cuttings (June-mid-July) or winter.

Summer cuttings are cut strictly after the plant has flowered. For propagation, shoots that do not have flowers are cut off. All cuttings must have 2 intermediate internodes. The cut should be made obliquely, without touching the last internode under the cut.

Please note that weigela has rather loose wood, so you need to cut the cuttings not with pruners, but with a sharp knife, and this must be done extremely carefully.

If cut carelessly, the damaged bush may become infected with rot. In this case, cuttings may come out more weakened than cuttings with hard wood.

To prevent this from happening, freshly cut cuttings are immediately dipped into melted wax or paraffin. After the wax coating hardens, the cutting acquires the necessary wood strength and is ready for planting. In this case, the paraffin or wax, of course, must be at such a temperature as not to damage or burn the shoot. In this shell, the cuttings are not only stored, but also planted in the ground.

After this, the resulting cuttings, about 15 centimeters long, are kept in a weak solution of heteroauxin for about 10 minutes, after which they are ready for rooting in the ground. It is best to use a proportional mixture of sand and peat for this: it is this that will most effectively regulate humidity, preventing excessive wetting of the soil. Next, the soil is watered, and the boxes with cuttings must be covered with polyethylene or glass.

Advantages of this method:

High level of shoot germination.
The first flowering occurs after 2 years.
It is possible to accurately predict the color of flowers.

Winter cuttings are obtained in the same way, cutting them from mature wintering bushes. Rooted cuttings can be planted in open ground. It is best to do this in the fall.

As when planting from seeds, it is best to bring the resulting young bushes indoors for the first winter, planting them in open ground next spring.

Reproduction by shoots or shoots

Another common method is vegetative propagation. For this purpose they traditionally use:

semi-woody cuttings from adult bushes;
young shoots that have grown this year.

Woody cuttings in this case, these are shoots from last year; it is possible to use unplanned root shoots from an old bush or stump for this. They are cut in the same way as young cuttings. All leaves are cut off, and the resulting shoots are processed special composition, promoting rapid rooting.

Planted in peat or a peat-sand mixture in mid-July - early August, or immediately in open ground. In order for the cuttings to quickly take root and be strong, you should follow a few simple rules.

Firstly, cuttings need to be watered regularly, but not too much, avoiding excessive wetting of the soil. Secondly, they must be covered during rooting, since weigela is extremely sensitive to temperature changes, and even to gusts of cold wind.

Weigela belongs to the Honeysuckle family. Ornamental shrub loves sunny meadows, protected from drafts. It blooms in early summer, so it is often used to decorate home gardens. It is important to properly plant, care for and propagate shrubs so that they constantly grow and delight the eye with their flowering in your garden area. Let's take a closer look at how to plant and care for the plant, as well as how to propagate weigela to decorate the garden.

Briefly about the bush

Weigela has large flowers that can grow either singly or in collected inflorescences. The flowers are hidden in the axils of the leaves and in young shoots. The flowers do not smell, but they look nice and attractive.

Weigela can be white, pink, soft cream, bright red, purple or scarlet. The color of flowers changes as they bloom and wilt. Therefore, at the beginning of flowering, bushes can bloom in one shade, and towards the end of flowering - in completely different shades.

Some varieties of shrubs have unusual leaves. They have a cream edging on a green velvety background. In autumn, the crown acquires a crimson burgundy or bright purple color. Weigela grows to a height of two meters. The shrub blooms twice a year with large, bright flowers: in May and September. If favorable conditions for growth and reproduction are created for the shrub, it can live for about 30 years, blooming with its beautiful flowers every year.

Amateur flower growers most often grow the following varieties and types of weigela:

early weigela is a shrub with branches that almost bend towards the ground. Blooms very early and abundantly beautiful flowers purple-pink hue. It grows up to two meters in height;
The modest grace of the Weigela variety is pleasant. The height of the bush is 0.5 - 1.5 meters. Blooms profusely with large lilac-pink flowers;
The most abundantly flowering bush is weigela flowering. It blooms with small bright pink flowers. The bushes grow low and have difficulty withstanding the winter season. Therefore, they must be covered for the winter. If the plant freezes, it will not be able to recover and will die;
Weigela Middendorf has a very dense crown and grows no higher than one meter. This variety is often grown as a border. The bushes have large light yellow flowers with red dots. Since this variety loves moisture, it takes root well and blooms in humid summers.

Read also: Mock orange - correct pruning

There are many more types and varieties of weigela that are grown in different countries.

Planting weigela

It is recommended to plant weigela in fertile, structured, moisture-absorbing soil. It is better to choose sunny ones for planting. open areas, but also protected from drafts and northern winds. The shrub does not like lowlands with large accumulations of water, acidic, heavy soils, or drafts.
If you plant weigela in the fall, it will disappear. Therefore, it is recommended to plant shrubs early spring. Holes for bushes should be 50x50 centimeters in size. At the bottom of each hole, place superphosphates and potassium salt in an amount of 50 grams of each ingredient. If the soil is sandy, it needs to be diluted with humus.
When planting seedlings in the ground, do not bury the root collar. It should be located at ground level. Be sure to mulch the circles of seedlings near the trunks with cut grass or sawdust.

When planting low-growing weigela bushes, be sure to leave a distance of 1 meter between them. And when planting tall bushes, the distance between them should be 2 - 3 meters.

Plant care rules

Caring for weigela bushes is as follows:

Carry out systematic sanitary pruning every spring. This procedure will give the bush a decorative, well-groomed appearance. It is necessary to remove dried, broken, diseased and frostbitten branches from the bush.
In order for new shoots with flowers to appear in place of fading flowers, shorten the corresponding branches.
In order not to harm the flower buds of the next season, you should not prune weigela in the fall.
In order to give the bush a decorative appearance, it is recommended to prune it during or after flowering.
With the active development of shoots, it is important to fertilize the bushes with nitrogen fertilizers. They are added to the water with which all plants are irrigated once every two weeks.
During budding, the bushes are fed with superphosphates, which are added one tablespoon per bucket of organic solution.
After watering and fertilizing, the soil around the bushes must be plowed.
Young plants that have not yet reached a height of one and a half meters must be protected from the cold in the winter. To do this, before wintering, cover the rhizomes and plants with leaves, straw or special shelters.

If you cut a flowering sprig of weigela, it will stand in the vase for a very long time. Can be used to decorate the garden different varieties weigels, planting them in different parts of the territory.

Methods of propagation of weigela

Weigela propagation is carried out using seeds, cuttings, shoots or shoots. Experienced flower growers know which variety can be propagated by seeds, and which is best propagated by cuttings.

Read also: How to grow bush St. John's wort

Seed propagation

In April or May, seed propagation of the plant can be carried out.
Prepare garden soil, mixing it with peat. Place the prepared soil in spacious boxes and moisten it well. Sow the seeds and cover the boxes with film to maintain the right temperature for the first sprouts to hatch.
As soon as leaves appear on the sprouts, the film can be removed. The first seedlings can be seen 14 days after sowing the seeds in the ground. A month after this, they can be transplanted into open ground. After the first leaves appear and just before planting in the ground, it is necessary to pick young bushes. Dig up young bushes in the first autumn before the onset of the first frost and plant them in a cool, ventilated room. Hide the rhizomes in burlap, which must be systematically moistened. Next spring, the plants are planted in open ground.

Seedlings planted from seed may bloom with red flowers rather than the pink flowers you expect. Since it is very difficult to guess which flowers a shrub will have in a given case when propagated by seed.

Reproduction by layering

Bend the nearest branch toward the ground. Make a cut in the bark and process special means for rapid root formation. Cover the cut area with soil.
Next spring, if the seedling has taken root, it can be carefully separated from the mother bush and transplanted to permanent place growth. Young plants must be covered for the winter.

Reproduction from shoots or shoots

For vegetative propagation, semi-woody cuttings from adult bushes or young shoots are used.
Take cuttings from last year's bushes. Remove all leaves from the shoots and treat them with a special means for quick rooting.
Prepare peat or peat-sand soil for the seedlings. In July or August, plant each cutting in open ground. Planting is carried out according to the 40x10 centimeter pattern.

For quick rooting of cuttings, as well as their resistance to external factors follow these rules:

Water the planted cuttings little by little regularly. It is also important to ensure that the soil is not too wet;
Be sure to cover the cuttings during the rooting period. Since weigela is sensitive to temperature changes and cold winds.
After 45 days, the rooted shoots need to be pinched. Continue to water them, fertilize them, and monitor their growth.
You can plant it in a permanent place of growth a year after propagation from shoots.

Reproduction by cuttings

Cuttings are carried out in summer or autumn. But weigela is best propagated by summer cuttings. The propagation procedure by cuttings is carried out as follows:

It is necessary to cut green young cuttings in June. The cuttings should be half a centimeter thick and 15 to 25 centimeters long.
Trim off the lower and upper leaves. Let the leaves remain in the middle.
To reduce the rate of moisture evaporation, cut the length of the remaining leaves by half.
Spread a layer of compost on the ground. Place a four-centimeter layer of sand on top.
Plant the cuttings in each prepared greenhouse so that the buds are slightly buried in the ground. Cuttings are planted with a slight slope.
Be sure to water the planted seedlings with water.
Cover the planted cuttings with a cut bottle to create a greenhouse.
Then, if necessary, systematically water the cuttings.

Read also: Luxurious flowers in the garden - dahlias

After 30 days, place little pebbles under the bottle so that the plants gradually get used to the ambient temperature.
On next year Plants planted by cuttings can be transplanted to a permanent place of growth.

In order for weigela to propagate by cuttings and bloom perfectly, it is important to listen to the following tips:

You can cut cuttings from summer plants only after they have flowered;
to propagate weigela by cuttings, you need to take shoots without flowers;
you need to cut the cuttings obliquely with a sharp knife, since the wood of the bush is loose and can easily be damaged and fall apart;
To prevent cut cuttings from suffering from rot, immediately after cutting, dip their sections in melted wax or paraffin. As soon as the wax hardens, the cuttings can be planted in the ground;
shoulder straps, 15 centimeters long, should also be kept for 10 minutes in a weak solution of heteroauxin. After the procedures described above, the cuttings are ready for planting.

Thanks to cuttings, the shoots germinate easily and completely. They bloom 2 years after planting. Using cuttings, you can predict what flowers the bushes will bloom. Winter cuttings are similarly cut from adult overwintering plants. In autumn, rooted cuttings can be planted in open ground. Weigela bushes planted by cuttings must be dug up in the first year of growth in a permanent place for wintering and stored in a cool room, constantly maintaining the moisture of the roots. In spring they can be planted back into the ground.

Now you know what weigela propagation is, how the bushes are grown, and what care they need. Each variety of weigela has its own breeding characteristics. That's why experienced flower growers Weigela is propagated either by shifts or cuttings. It is important to know both options in order to grow beautiful bushes in your garden.

We consider ways to propagate weigela. We describe how to propagate a shrub by cuttings and seeds step by step, as well as recommendations experienced gardeners.

Introduction

Weigela can be propagated by seeds and vegetative propagation methods. Seed and vegetative propagation have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Seed propagation

Growing weigela from seeds has a number of advantages: such a plant grows more viable, resistant to sudden changes in weather conditions and well adapted to the local climate, and you can also grow a larger number of specimens per season.

Disadvantages: plants take longer to develop and bloom in the fourth year, the growing process is more complex, seeds can only fully ripen in the south of Russia and then mainly of winter-hardy species, but in the northern regions this is almost impossible.

However, for amateur gardeners, the main disadvantage is often that the seedlings do not retain all varietal characteristics.

Vegetative propagation

This is the only propagation method that is used to preserve the purity of the variety. Weigela can be propagated by layering, dividing the bush and cuttings. Layers of the bush do not take root well; dividing the bush is very difficult.

Therefore, according to the Flower Festival magazine, cuttings are the simplest and most convenient way reproduction. At the same time, it can be propagated by both winter (spring) and summer cuttings (summer).

Growing from seeds

In winter-hardy species, the seeds ripen by the end of October - beginning of November, but in the Korean weigela, pleasant and abundantly flowering, the seeds do not ripen often.

If you have your own seeds, it is advisable to sow them in the same fall, or at least next spring. Freshly harvested seeds have a good degree of germination and do not require preliminary preparation(stratification).

After 1-2 years, germination will be 1-5%. In winter, store seeds in paper bag or linen bag.

Sow the seeds in March-April at home in containers with soil mixture (peat ( turf land) and sand - 2:1), lightly sprinkle them with sand and press them with glass on top. Cover the bowl with a transparent lid and film.
Keep the substrate moist and ventilate the “mini-greenhouse” daily. Spray the sand or water it gently to keep the seeds buried. In about 20-25 days, shoots will appear. Water the soil mixture near the seedlings to avoid washing out the roots.
Dive the seedlings after the formation of the second pair of leaves into separate containers (cups).
Seedlings at the age of one year have one non-branching stem about 6-7 cm in height, 3-4 pairs of leaves, axillary and apical buds. The root system is 3-5 cm in diameter. The embryonic leaves (cotyledons) fall off in September.
In the second year, it is better to take the boxes with seedlings out onto the site for growing in partial shade (under a tree with a sparse crown or bush). Grows significantly over the season root system superficially, and a two-year-old plant will be 40-50 cm tall.
In the third year in the spring, the seedlings are planted in open ground in a permanent place and cared for like an adult plant. In the fourth year the plant begins to bloom.

Winter cuttings

Winter (lignified) weigela cuttings are last year's young shoots that have already overwintered.

In April (before the leaves bloom), cut off the top of a woody shoot with a diameter of up to one centimeter and a length of 15-25 cm with 3-5 pairs of buds. Cut the cuttings 1-2 cm below the bud.
Dip the cutting in “Kornevin” or any other growth stimulant and plant it in a pot or boxes at a slight slope with a soil mixture: turf (garden) soil and sand – 1:1.
Planting depth – 0.5 cm, distance between cuttings – 20-30 cm or 40x10 cm. Place a 2-3 cm layer of sand on top.
Place the planting containers in a greenhouse or greenhouse or cover with film. For better rooting you need high humidity and diffused light. Spray and ventilate the cuttings daily.
Roots appear in early weigela after 40-45 days, and in middendorf weigela on the 25-30th day after planting. Now the established cuttings need to be pinched and fed for better development of the root system and the above-ground part of the plant.
Use nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer, for example, 25 g of ammonium nitrate and 30 g of superphosphate per 1 m² or a level teaspoon for each cutting.
Instead of mineral fertilizer you can feed with mullein solution - 0.5 liters of slurry per 1 m² or 50-100 ml per cutting.

The percentage of rooting of summer cuttings using root formation stimulants (Heteroauxin, Kornevin, Zircon) is more than 80, and in botanical gardens it is about 100% and significantly higher than winter ones. If your winter cuttings have taken root poorly, then do not despair and try to propagate your favorite bush with summer cuttings.

Summer cuttings

It is best to take cuttings before flower buds begin to form. The exact timing of harvesting cuttings depends on the climate zone and the weigela variety. Usually this is mid-May - mid-June, and for example, in the Moscow region from approximately June 5 to June 20.

At this time it is not yet so hot, it is easier for the cuttings to take root, and they will also have time to develop better before the fall. For propagation by summer (green) cuttings, young shoots that are just beginning to become lignified are taken.

Cut a young shoot with a 1-2 cm section of last year's wood (about the thickness of a pencil) with two pairs of leaves and one internode. The length of the green cutting is 9-12 cm.
The lower cut is under the lower pair of leaves, and the upper one is above the upper pair of leaves - 1-2 cm. Both cuts are straight, since weigela has opposite leaves.
Remove the leaves completely or 1/2-1/3 of the leaf blade and place the summer cuttings in water for 60-120 minutes. Usually the lower pair is removed completely, and the upper pair of leaves is cut off by 1/3.
After that, dip them in “Kornevin” and plant them in a mixture of peat and sand - 1:1 to a depth of 1-2 cm per tree or in a container. Above soil mixture It is advisable to pour a 2-3 cm layer of washed sand.
Instead of "Kornevin" it is very effective to keep the cuttings for 12 hours in a solution with heteroauxin (150 mg/1 l of water) in dark place with a temperature of +20-25º.
Cover the planting site or pot transparent film to maintain high humidity and, accordingly, better rooting. You can also cover each cutting individually with trimmed plastic bottle or a glass jar.
Plant the cuttings in partial shade and shade them with cloth or gauze from the sun's rays for the first 5-7 days. Planting distance between cuttings and rows: 25 cm.
Ventilate the greenhouse twice a day and water the cuttings daily with a small amount of water to keep the soil slightly moist at all times.
After the cuttings begin to grow and new leaves appear, the film must be removed - this means they have taken root.
After about a month, pinch them and feed them, just like winter cuttings. Water the cuttings after the top layer of soil has dried 2-3 cm.
in autumn for successful wintering mulch the cuttings and cover them with a box with slots to protect the shoots from frost and damage from snow.
Next spring (mid-end of April), the plants can be transplanted to a schoolhouse (50x50 cm) until they are three years old, or immediately to a permanent place in the garden.

Weigela - shrub eastern origin, well developed, but only by botanical gardens. But this is a miracle of color, aroma, expression! Abundant flowering at the beginning of summer, when the queen of flowers - the rose - has not yet bloomed, our eyes are attracted by the bright colors of the most graceful bell flowers, nodding welcomingly to us, inviting us to feel the beauty of the coming summer.

With all this splendor, planting and caring for weigela does not present any difficulty; growing this shrub is accessible to even the busiest summer residents.

This is what weigela looks like.

Weigela is a spreading shrub up to 2 m high from the honeysuckle family.
It is considered a highly decorative plant because it has a proportionally developed crown, long, weeping shoots and abundant luxurious flowering.

The flowers are tubular, original bell-shaped, depending on the species they can be red, pink, yellow-white, milky white. They are in umbrella-shaped inflorescences. Weigela blooms magnificently and for a long time - from May to the end of June. Her homeland is the Far East. It grows wild in China, Japan, and the Kuril Islands.

Planting weigela

All types of weigela love fertile soil on which they bloom luxuriantly. The land should not only be fertile, but also structural and moisture-absorbing. Weigela requires open, sunny places for planting.

You should not plant it in lowlands where water can stagnate, as well as on acidic, heavy soils and in drafts.

Seedlings planted in autumn often die, so best time for planting weigela - early spring. Planting holes are prepared measuring 50 × 50 cm. Add 50 grams to the soil with which you will fill the seedlings. superphosphate and potassium salt. If the soil is poor and sandy, then add 1 - 2 buckets of humus to it. Do not bury the root collar; it should be at soil level.

When planting several weigela bushes, maintain a distance of 1 m between low-growing ones and 2 - 3 m between tall plants. Tree trunk circles mulch the seedlings with mowed grass or sawdust.

Weigela plants are not demanding and need care until they grow and become stronger. However, they love fertilizing, especially organic ones - fermented bird droppings, mullein, diluted 20 times.

Nitrogen fertilizing should begin in the spring during the period of active development of shoots, giving them with irrigation water after 2 weeks. During the budding period, superphosphate should be added to them at the rate of 1 tbsp. spoon onto a bucket of organic solution. After watering and fertilizing, loosening is carried out. Of course, weeds are unacceptable, since they compete for moisture.

In summer, when there is a lack of watering, weigela suffers, but in rainy weather it thrives.

Caring for weigela includes systematic annual pruning, since it blooms on the shoots of the current year. In young weigela bushes, pruning should be limited to cutting off shoots after flowering. At the age of five or more years, bushes can be rejuvenated in the fall by pruning them “to the stump.” The plants will grow back next year and bloom again.

Young bushes should be covered for the winter. For this purpose, you can use spunbond or any other covering material. Cover the root area with straw and castings as well. Shelter is required only for young plants; when the bushes grow to one and a half meters or higher, they will winter without shelter.

Weigela propagation

Weigela reproduces:

Seeds
Lignified cuttings
Green cuttings
Root suckers

Propagation of weigela by seeds

The most frost-resistant and resistant to adverse conditions are plants obtained from seeds. And, besides, this is the most productive way of propagating weigela. The seeds ripen in September. They are very small, but their germination rate is one hundred percent. You can sow in both autumn and spring. In the south spring sowing preferable. There is no need to stratify the seeds.

Seeds are sown without embedding. It is enough to sprinkle 0.5-1 cm of peat or humus on top and compact it slightly. Abundant watering through a fine strainer is required.

Seedlings should grow in one place for 3-5 years without transplanting. And only after reaching a height of 80-100 cm are they planted in a permanent place. Choose a place for planting that is sunny but protected from the winds. Neither young seedlings, nor leaves, nor weigela flowers like the wind.

After transplantation and the beginning of growth, it is necessary to give organic fertilizer. After watering, it is good to mulch the soil with high-moor peat, humus or leaf soil.

Propagation of weigela by lignified cuttings

Cuttings taken from annual shoots take root at any time of the year, but it is better in the spring, before the buds begin to bloom. Propagation by lignified cuttings is the most popular method, but it is also possible green cuttings a week after flowering.

Wood cuttings are harvested in late autumn or early winter, but before the onset of severe frosts. Cut cuttings are stored in the cellar until spring. It is completely wrong to cut cuttings from overwintered shoots early in the spring. You can save shoots cut in autumn not only in a damp cellar, but also in grooves under the snow, after burying them in the sand. The shelter must ensure complete safety of the shoots from drying out, freezing, and disease.

In spring, the shoots are cut into cuttings. The lower cut is located under the bud itself, and the upper cut is 1-2 cm above the upper bud.

If the cuttings are planted directly into the ground, then their length should be 25-30 cm. Upper part The shoots, like the lower ones, are not cut into cuttings. The cuttings are planted obliquely, immersing it completely in the soil, leaving 2-3 pairs of buds. Care - watering, loosening, weed control. Rooting occurs on the 15-20th day and is usually one hundred percent.

How to propagate weigela with green cuttings

Weigela can also be propagated from green cuttings. The shoots are cut off when they have not yet become woody, but this process has already begun. They do not break, but only bend elastically. The bark of the shoots is green.

In terms of time, this is early to mid-June. The shoots are cut early in the morning, since at this time they are maximally hydrated. To reduce evaporation, the leaf blade is cut in half.

They should be immersed in water immediately after cutting, but not kept in it for a long time to prevent leaching. organic matter. The cuttings are planted in a box filled with loose soil. River sand is poured on top in a layer of 1-2 cm. Planting depth is 0.5 cm. The box is covered with film until the cuttings are rooted, systematically ventilated.

Cuttings root successfully at 90-100% relative air humidity after two weeks. Well-rooted cuttings can be immediately planted in the ground. A good bush from cuttings is obtained in the 3rd year.

Besides usual care Behind the rooted cuttings it is necessary to provide them with shelter for the winter. Young weigela plants do not tolerate temperature changes in winter, lack of snow and frost. It is necessary to cover not with earth, but with peat, humus, fallen leaves or spruce branches. In the southern region it winters without shelter.

Weigela can be propagated by root suckers

And there is another way of propagation - by root suckers. When they are formed, depending on the species, the rooting of the new plant is successful and flowering occurs already in the 2nd year.

Weigela is the best decoration small amateur garden. Its flowering shoots are good in bouquets. When cut, the branches last for two or even three weeks.

Varieties and types of weigela

There are a few known species of weigela that are found among amateur gardeners.

Weigela early- This is a spreading shrub with branches bending almost to the ground. It blooms earlier than other species, abundantly and spectacularly. The flowers are purple-pink. Bush up to 2 m in height.

Weigela is nice- as if justifying its name, this view amazes with its modest grace. The bush is low - up to 0.5-1.5 m. Flowering is abundant. The flowers are large, lilac-pink.

Weigela blooming- most abundantly blooming species. The flowers are bright pink, relatively small. The bush is low and not winter-hardy. Requires shelter for the winter, since when it freezes it hardly grows back.

Weigel Middendorf- low, border bush up to 1 m in height with a very dense crown. The flowers are large, light yellow, with red dots in the throat. It loves moisture, so it is effective in humid summers.

Weigela in garden design photo

Many Russian summer residents would like to have weigela on their property. It's very bright, extremely beautiful bush, with flowers whose size reaches up to 5 centimeters. Currently, about 15 varieties of weigela have already been bred, and about half of them are grown as cultivated plant. The height of the bush can reach 2 meters. Growing this plant in the Russian climate is quite a troublesome task. However, all work is compensated here extraordinary beauty weigels.

Weigela - how it is propagated by cuttings

If you decide to breed this plant, then you will need to know many of the nuances associated with this. One of the very important points here is the propagation of weigela. Gardeners currently practice 3 methods:

cuttings - lignified or green;
seeds;
root suckers.

The first one is the most common. The thing is that a lignified cutting, cut from a 1-year-old shoot, can take root at any time of the year.

However, according to experienced gardeners, the most optimal period for this is spring, when the buds have not yet bloomed.

So, let's first look at how weigela can be propagated using lignified cuttings. They need to be prepared late autumn. This can also be done at the beginning of winter, but provided that severe frosts have not yet struck. The cuttings need to be saved until the beginning of spring - it is best to hide them in the cellar for the winter. There is another storage option - directly under the snow, in grooves specially dug for this purpose. The cuttings should first be buried in sand. With these precautions you will save planting material, protecting it from disease, freezing and drying out.

In the spring you can begin the next stage of reproduction. We will need to cut the cuttings again - this time from overwintered shoots. There are certain rules that must be followed. In particular, the upper cut is made above the outer bud, slightly away from it. The recommended distance in this case is approximately 2 centimeters. However, a centimeter indentation is also allowed. The lower cut must be made directly under the kidney.

One more thing should also be noted important point. Neither the top nor the bottom part escape. The recommended length for planting in the ground is from 25 to 30 centimeters. At least 2 pairs of buds should remain on the surface. The cuttings are not planted straight, but with a slight slope. Special attention should be given aftercare. In particular, the plant needs to be watered and the soil needs to be fertilized. As a rule, rooting occurs after 2-3 weeks, and it is almost always 100 percent.

Now let's look in more detail at how weigela can be propagated using green cuttings. There are some peculiarities here. In particular, it is recommended to cut the shoots in the summer, around mid-June. The thing is that during this period they have not yet had time to completely lignify, although this process has already started. The shoots should be covered with green bark and not break when bent. It is recommended to cut shoots early in the morning. The thing is that at this time they are maximally saturated with moisture. You also need to reduce the sheet plate by 50 percent. This will reduce the evaporation of valuable moisture.

After you cut the cuttings, you need to keep them in water for some time. After this, we transplant the planting material into a box with loose soil, on top of which river sand is poured. The thickness of the latter layer should be from 1 to 2 centimeters. Pay special attention to planting depth. It should be no more than 0.5 centimeters. After this, we close the box with plastic wrap, thereby stimulating the rooting process. The cuttings will need to be ventilated periodically.

At 90 to 100 percent relative humidity, they will root in about 2 weeks. If everything is fine here, the cuttings can be transplanted into open ground. It should be noted that you will need to wait until a good bush appears. They appear from cuttings no earlier than after 2 years. IN middle lane The Russian Federation will need to take care of the wintering of rooted cuttings. Young plants perceive temperature changes extremely negatively. winter period. They also do not tolerate frost and lack of snow well. Rooted cuttings should be covered with spruce branches, fallen leaves, or peat for the winter. The land is not suitable in this case. It should be noted that in the southern regions of the country, young plants can be left for the winter without shelter - unless, of course, there are any weather anomalies.

Quite popular and at the same time the most productive is the propagation of weigela using seeds. The latter ripen in early autumn, in September, and have 100 percent germination. They can be sown immediately after harvest or in the spring. The second option is more preferable for the southern part of Russia. There is no need for sealing here. You can simply sprinkle the sowing area with humus or peat. Without transplantation, seedlings should grow from 3 to 5 years. Plants can be moved to a permanent location only after they have grown to 80-100 centimeters.