Which shrub blooms twice a year?Experienced flower growers know the answer to this question: this is Weigela Middendorf! The plant of incredible beauty, belonging to the family of honeysuckle, allows you to make bright notes in the garden, to diversify it. That is why the shrub is called the pearl of early and mid-summer. Planting and caring for the Weihela Middendorf will not cause problems even for a novice gardener, and our helpful tips will surely help grow a charming bush!
Description
Charming cream, juicy yellow,captivating copper - the inflorescences of this unusual shrub look like. A curious fact - the flowers are gaining color gradually: over time, almost snow-white petals become saturated color. The shape of the flowers is also unusual - they are bell-shaped and tubular. One cannot but say that Middendorf is the most enduring representative of the whole race! And the height of the Weigel Middendorfy reaches 1.5 meters!
Flowering weigela
The most wonderful advantage of a weigel is thatit blooms twice in the summer. The first bloom is in the middle of May. Of course, the plant does not look very magnificent. But the second bloom, on the shoots of the current year, just fascinating! Starting from August, weigela decorates the garden until the very end of September!
When to plant weigela
Perfectly planted shrubs planted in the spring.The optimal interval is between the beginning of the warming up of the soil and the swelling of the first buds. But the autumn planting can lead to the fact that the Weigel Middendorf will die in the first winter. So if you purchased the plant in the fall, stick it in a slanted position until spring. At the same time, try to cover almost all its crown with earth.
Weigela soil
If you decide to plant in your gardenplant, carefully approach the choice of soil for it. The earth should not be dense and overdried, but Middendorff’s over-wetting simply cannot stand. The soil should be periodically loosened, and it is best to do it immediately after watering. If it is not possible to carry out such work, it is worth covering the ground with sawdust.
Select a location
Choosing a place for Midi dendorff Weigela, you needknow - she prefers sunny areas or openwork shadow. The shrub needs protection from drafts - even a not very strong wind can damage the leaves of the plant and its flowers. At the same time, the place should be on a small elevation, and an artificial one will do. In which part of the garden to plant a shrub? It all depends on the region: after all, planting the Weigel Middendorf and care in the Moscow region is different from the maintenance conditions of the bush in Krasnodar. The best option - landing on the south side of the house.
Rules of landing
To plant weigela need to prepare a hole40 cm deep. However, if the soil in the plot is poor, you should dig a bigger hole: you will need to lay out 15 cm of drainage at its bottom (broken bricks, sand or gravel will fit), then add fertile soil consisting of leafy ground ( 2 parts), sand (2 parts) and sod land (1 part).
So that the planting material must have taken root,You can treat its roots with a root formation stimulator. After that, the roots need to gently straighten and land in the ground. To prevent the plants from interfering with each other, they should be planted at a distance of 150 cm from each other. You should not deepen the root neck of the Weigel Middendorf too much - it is enough 1-2 cm. Immediately after planting, the seedlings must be watered abundantly.
Care
In order for the plant to please the eye, for himneed to care. Land near the plant should always be loose. It is important to fertilize the weigela - in early spring you need to make mineral fertilizers. Suitable potassium salt, urea. The second time the shrub needs top dressing with potassium sulfate and superphosphate. Please note - after fertilizing, weigela needs a lot of water!
By the way, if the winter was frosty and snowless, and the shoots froze, the amount of water should be increased to 8-10 liters per bush. The same amount of water will be required in hot weather.
If possible, wipe the leaves with a damp cloth or spray them. It is important to ensure that the water does not fall into the flowers.
By the way, fertilizing plants with phosphate fertilizers will not interfere. This will give the foliage of the plant a rich green color.
Weigela Middendorf: trimming description
Like any other shrub, this one alsoneeds regular pruning. For young plants, normal sanitary pruning is necessary - in the spring, damaged, frozen shoots should be removed. It will not be superfluous and pruning on too thick branches.
In adult bushes, it is necessary to carry out anti-aging pruning every two to three years, removing old stems. The ideal time for this procedure is immediately after flowering.
In order for the plant to be thick and lush, it is necessary to prune the young shoots. True, this should be done in a special way - it is necessary to cut off half of their length.
It often happens that you need to cut off all the shoots.Of course, beginning gardeners are afraid that after this the plant will not recover. This is not true! Reviews about Weigel Middendorf say - the bush quickly "comes to life", even if you cut it at the root!
Pests and diseases
Среди самых распространенных вредителей, encroaching on the beauty and health of weigela, caterpillars and aphids. In the heat of the shrub spider mites and thrips attack - all of them harm foliage. Often, gardeners are advised to use nitrafen, rogor and keltan to protect the plant. But these pesticides cause significant damage to the environment. You can get rid of pests and harm nature by using insecticidal herbal infusions. Wormwood, garlic, shag and bitter pepper will do.
Immediately after landing in the weigela Middendorfstart to wither and turn yellow? Most likely, the root system is affected by the larvae of the beaver or the cockchafer. They could get into the planting pit with compost or humus. You can also get rid of these pests - spill the ground under the bush with a solution of aktar or karbofos.
If we talk about diseases, for weigela dangerrepresent spotting, rust and gray rot. To combat the fungus and bacteria, it is recommended to treat the plant with the so-called Bordeaux mixture - a mixture of copper sulphate and milk of lime.
On the roots and root neck formedspherical growths? The point is incurable bacterial infection. Unfortunately, such a plant will have to be disposed of, otherwise other green “inhabitants” of the garden may get infected.
Prevention helps prevent diseases! As soon as leaves appear on the plant, it must be treated with fungicides, for example, “Topsin”.
Middendorf in winter
What can be said about winter hardiness of the Weigel Middendorf? This shrub can safely tolerate frosts down to -29 degrees! However, the plant must be prepared for the cold.
In late November - early December, when all the leavesfrom the weigel will fall off, you need to cover the tree trunk with the ground, forming a low hill - 15-20 cm. The branches of the plant should be carefully bent down and pressed to the soil, the roofing board should be closed from above. Coverage is important to fix - so as not to be blown away. Another option - just pull the branches with a rope or twine, and the bush enclose a metal frame. It is necessary to fill in dry foliage inside this structure - it will keep warm. From above, gardeners recommend wrapping the structure with a dense covering material.
Propagation Middendorfy
Propagate weigel Middendorfu on the site in two ways - seeds and cuttings. Семена этого кустарника способны сохранять good germination for one year. You can sow them without prior preparation. The best option is sowing in pots that are covered with film or glass. Usually shoots weigela very friendly. When a second pair of leaflets appear on the weigel, the shoots need to dive. Too thick crops need to be thinned.
A year later, Weigel Middendorf isseven-centimeter stem with three to four pairs of leaves and buds. The diameter of the annual plant is 5 cm. The plant, which is two years old, already reaches 50 cm in height. Its root system grows significantly. Weigela bloom begins in 4 years.
It is much easier to grow weigela from cuttings.Such plants begin to bloom in the second year. You need to choose the stalk carefully - you need young shoots that are just starting to turn wood! The cut is made with a clean, sharp knife.
Experienced gardeners on a separated handlerecommend removing all leaves. For a couple of hours the shoots should be placed in water, and after - treated with any growth stimulant. It is best to plant cuttings in the ground in the second half of June: the escape is immersed in a prepared pit to a depth of about 1 cm, covered with film on top. It is necessary to water a plant twice a day.
In order for the crown of the future bush to be lush, all the first buds must be cut off!
Weigela Middendorf: photo and combination in garden compositions
This shrub looks extremely aesthetically pleasing.small plot, and in a large garden. Weigela can be used in design in a variety of ways. For example, curtains look great (as they call a group of free-standing shrubs) placed on lawns. Attractive and single plants on the edge. Weigels in a hedge are no less good.
If you have about a dozen Weigel at your disposal,You can place them in bright groups directly on the lawn. If the soil on the site is loose, between perennials it is worth planting perennials such as fern, astilbe, hosta - these plants will decorate the garden all summer. If you like mixed planting, try combining weigel with other shrubs. Its combination with barberries, Japanese quince, viburnum, spirea, cotoneaster looks charming. Perfect for group compositions of cypress and juniper.
If there are few plants, you can land them singly - at the gate or at the main entrance to the house.
