Weigela Ebony and Ivory

Weigela Ebony and Ivory is a very recent variety whose aesthetics admirably play with the light-dark register. This bush combines a green-purple foliage with chocolate, among the darkest that can be observed in Weigelas, with a candid flowering that explodes at the end of spring like a thousand little white trumpets. Elegant even in its compact and regular habit, suitable for gardens of all sizes, this young plant will bring a trendy and original touch to flowerbeds or flowering hedges. This weigela can also be grown in pots on the terrace or balcony.

 Weigela Ebony and Ivory ('Velda') is derived, among others, from Weigela florida, native to northeastern China, Korea, and Japan. Weigelas are Asian and belong to the Caprifoliaceae family, just like honeysuckles. This innovative variety received the Silver Medal at Plantarium in Boskoop (Netherlands) in 2015.

It is a low bush, with bushy and harmonious vegetation, both upright, compact, and rounded. It eventually forms a ramified bush with arched branches, about 1.20m (3ft 11in) high and 1m (3ft 4in) wide. Its deciduous foliage consists of lanceolate and slightly undulate leaves, which have a very dark colour, a dark green tinged with purple and chocolate during flowering. Its funnel-shaped flowers, produced abundantly in May-June, are carried in corymbs at the tips of the branches. They are pure white, punctuated with yellow stamens at the throat. This flowering is also melliferous and nectariferous. The autumn foliage, also very ornamental, is a purple-red colour.

Hardy well beyond -20°C (-4 °F), the Weigela 'Ebony and Ivory' thrives in sunny or semi-shaded positions, in a fresh but well-drained soil. Its beautiful rounded and compact habit makes it a graceful bush, and the contrast between its almost black foliage and its white flowers gives it a unique personality. In a flowerbed, for example, give it as companions variegated dogwoods, a small almost white willow (Salix rosmarinifolia or 'Repens Nitida'), a golden-leaved spirea (Spiraea 'Tor Gold') or a white and massive flowering spirea (Spiraeae vanhouttei), or a 'Bailey Compact' Viburnum. In the background, the dark green foliage of hollies, boxwoods, or yews will form a beautiful setting for its contrasting colours and ensure the decor in winter. This Weigela can also be planted in pots to decorate the terrace, or planted alone to attract attention in small gardens.