Weigela florida Polka

Weigela florida 'Polka' is a variety of weigela with a compact habit and almost continuous flowering, from late spring to the gates of autumn. Its funnel-shaped flowers are large, almost bicolour, pastel pink, opening to a dark pink to old pink throat, and gracefully touched with golden yellow. Their radiant hue is well highlighted by slightly rounded, thick foliage of a beautiful dark green. Dwarf Weigelas are easy to grow in ordinary, moist but well-drained soil. They blend well in country or romantic flower beds, or a small flowering hedge, and also thrive in a large pot on the terrace.

Native to northern China, Japan and Korea, Weigela florida is a deciduous shrub belonging to the Caprifoliaceae family. This calcicolous shrub (preferring limestone soils) has a fibrous and trailing root system, which tolerates transplantation perfectly. The 'Polka' cultivar, from which it originates, has a more compact and slightly unkempt habit, and eventually forms a multi-branched bush with arched limbs, about 1 m (3.3 ft) tall and 1.25 m (4. ft) wide. Its funnel-shaped flowers, larger compared to the type, have two shades of pink: they are pale pink and fresh on the periphery, deeper pink and golden in the centre. They are carried in corymbs, at the ends of the current year's branches but also by those of the previous year, and bloom abundantly for the first time from May to June, then more sporadically in summer. If a light pruning is done after the first bloom, the second flowering from September to October is also abundant and nectar-rich. Its deciduous foliage is composed of dark green, sessile leaves, pubescent on the underside, and more rounded and thicker than those of the type. The branches of this shrub are arched and show two rows of hairs.

Hardy down to -20° C (-4° F), 'Polka' thrives in sunny or semi-shaded positions, in moist but well-drained soil. Its arched and compact habit makes it a graceful shrub, whose abundant pastel-coloured flowering, far from being dull, slightly resembles that of its cousin the beauty bush (Kolwitzia amabilis). In a flower bed, for example, plant alongside plants such as Galega, variegated dogwoods, spireas, ornamental brambles, or Ribes gordonianum. The very dark foliage of hollies or yews can form a beautiful backdrop for its generous flowering and will provide winter interest. This weigela can also be planted in containers in small gardens, or trained on a trellis.