Weigela florida Nana Purpurea

Weigela florida 'Nana Purpurea' is an adorable and beautifully coloured variety with a very compact and bushy growth, that will be enjoyed for a large part of the year. Superb in summer draped in green-purple foliage adorned with carmine-red flower buds and attractive tubular flowers in two shades of pink, the shrub also charms in spring with its young bronze-tinted leaves, and finishes the season by climaxing with a red-orange fireworks display. This little marvel should be planted in ordinary but fresh soil in a sunny flower bed, with a rustic or romantic theme, but also in a small flowering hedge, or even in a large pot on the terrace.

Originally from northern China, Japan, and Korea, Weigela florida is a deciduous shrub belonging to the Caprifoliaceae family. This calcicolous (preferring limestone soils) shrub has a fibrous and tracing root system, which tolerates transplantation perfectly. The 'Nana Purpurea' cultivar, from which it originates, shows slow growth and reduced development. It forms a ramified bush 1 m (3 ft) in height and 1.2 m (4 ft) in width at most. Its funnel-shaped flowers have two shades of pink; they are dark pink on the outside and lighter on the inside. They are borne in corymbs, at the ends of the previous year's branches, and bloom abundantly from May to June. A second flowering sometimes appears towards the end of August and in September, depending on the climate and growing conditions. This flowering is melliferous and nectariferous. The foliage consists of sessile, pubescent leaves, ovate to elliptical, which change colour from spring to autumn. The branches of this shrub are arched and have two rows of hairs.

Hardy down to -20 °C (-4 °F), Weigela 'Nana Purpurea' is one of those shrubs that easily succeed except in the hottest and driest regions. It thrives in sunny or semi-shaded positions, in any fresh but well-drained soil. Its dense and bushy habit makes it a graceful shrub suitable for gardens of all sizes. The combination of foliage and flower colours is far from boring; it brings a very personal touch to any decor and allows for the creation of large colourful borders along a path or lawn, by combining it with purple Berberis, for example. In a flower bed, for example, give it companions such as Galega, common or variegated dogwoods, ornamental brambles, a Physocarpus, symphorines or even a Buddleia alternifolia Unique (also a dwarf variety, with blue-purple flowers). In the background, the very dark foliage of hollies or yews will form a dark backdrop for its bright foliage and provide decor in winter. This weigela can also be installed in a container to attract attention in small gardens, or trained on a small trellis.