Weigelia ‘White Knight’

Next in the parade of Shrubs I Love is a weigelia or weigela – spellings differ so whichever you use, people who know better will correct you. I’m hoping someone will tell me which is correct just for the record but honestly, it’s so damn lovely right now I don’t really care.  And why settle for one photo when I’ve downloaded about a dozen?

Since you guys have been patiently teaching me what you want to know about the plants I feature, I’ll start with my notes but feel free to ask questions – I know you will.

Hardy to Zone 5, this and other weigelias need a half-day or more of sun, bloom in late spring and this ‘White Knight’ at maturity is now 4′ tall and 8′ wide.  Definitely drought-tolerant, and requiring minimal pruning.  After six years now, the only pruning it’s received is a little limbing up to keep it off the groundcover.  It just naturally has this lovely arching form.  My pruning book tells me I may eventually have to remove old canes to the ground to rejuvenate it, like I’ve done with the old 10-foot-tall common weigelias that conveyed with my property, a process that worked really well because they grow back so quickly.  And though this one hasn’t needed it, =-generally right after flowering is a good time to thin stems or to cut back "untidy shoots" by half, "keeping the habit of the plant."  Damn right I want to keep the habit.

Bottom line, if this isn’t a high-impact, low-maintenance plant, I don’t know what is.