Weigela hortensis
| Weigela hortensis | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 16' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Weigela hortensis
Propagation: Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe if this is possible, otherwise in late winter or early spring. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer.
Softwood basal cuttings, 10 - 12cm long, in a sandy soil in a cold frame in early summer[1].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 8 - 10 cm with a heel, July/August in a frame[1].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current seasons growth. 20 cm long, November in a sheltered outdoor nursery bed[1].
Cultivation: An easily grown plant, succeeding in most fertile soils[2][1]. Prefers a moist well-drained soil in sun or partial shade[1]. Tolerates atmospheric pollution[1].
Plants are very floriferous and can exhaust themselves, literally flowering themselves to death. The flowers are borne in the leaf nodes of the previous years growth and any pruning is therefore best done as soon as the plant has finished flowering[3]. The flowers have a soft sweet perfume[4].
Closely related to W. japonica[2].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[1].
Range: E. Asia - C. and N. Japan.
Habitat: Common on sunny hills and mountains at elevations of 20 - 1800 metres[5].
Edibility: Young leaves - cooked[6][7]. A famine food, they are only used when all else fails.
A tea is made from the leaves[7].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Pollution: Tolerates environmental pollution.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Flora of Japan.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.