Weigela florida Wings of Fire

Weigela 'Wings of Fire' was born in the Netherlands with the millennium. This variety, with a compact habit, stands out from all others by the evolving shade of its foliage throughout the seasons, much more than by its somewhat timid summer flowering, in small pinkish-purple bells. Offering a festival of colours, its young foliage quickly changes from green to bronze at the end of spring, becomes dark red in summer before the autumn blaze, in scarlet red and purple-violet. Weigelas are easy to grow shrubs in ordinary, moist but well-drained soil. Compact and exceptionally colourful varieties such as 'Wings of Fire' integrate well in countryside or romantic borders, a small flowering hedge, and also thrive in a large pot on the terrace.

Weigela 'Wings of Fire' comes, among others, from Weigela florida, native to northeastern China, Korea, and Japan. Weigelas are Asian and belong to the family of Caprifoliaceae, just like honeysuckles.

The cultivar 'Wings of Fire' shows a bushy, erect, compact, and rounded growth, and after 4 years of cultivation forms a ramified bush with arched branches, about 1.5 metres (4 feet 11 inches) tall and 1.25 metres (4 feet 1 inches) wide. Its deciduous foliage is the main asset of this shrub. It consists of lanceolate, slightly undulate leaves, and displays an unprecedented colour, curiously evolving from spring to autumn. Its funnel-shaped flowers, modest in size and a slightly mauve pink, are borne in corymbs at the tips of the branches from May to June. This flowering is also melliferous and nectariferous.

Hardy well below -20°C, Weigela 'Wings of Fire' thrives in sunny or semi-shaded positions, in moist but well-drained soil. Its arched and compact habit makes it a graceful shrub, whose remarkably colored foliage, far from being dull, has nothing to envy to that of Physocarpus or certain small Viburnums. In a border, for example, give it companions such as Galega, variegated dogwoods, spireas, ornamental brambles, or a 'Bailey Compact' Viburnum. In the background, the very dark foliage of hollies, boxwoods, or yews will form a beautiful setting for its changing colours and ensure the winter decor. It can also be planted in a container to adorn the terrace, or as a standalone specimen to attract attention in small gardens.