Weigela 'Velda' EBONY AND IVORY weigela

EBONY AND IVORYis an impressive weigela variety the Dutch breeder Gijsbertus Verhoef from the Bert Verhoef Boomkwekerij nursery. Quite often you will find it depicted as a small bush which is not correct – this variety is compact, nevertheless it will grow about one meter in height and width in ten years. Its close relative BLACK & WHITE® is the truly dwarf variety with similar colours.

EBONY AND IVORY weigela bears dark green leaves with distinctly dark purple-brown hues on insolated parts. They are deciduous, ovate, with conspicuous veins. Nearly snow-white flowers create a fantastic contrast to the dark foliage. They are funnel-shaped and marked with a pale golden-orange blotch in the throat and pale magenta calyxes. They bloom from mid-May for 3-4 weeks. It grows rather slowly, mostly upright, only the lateral twigs may be slightly prostrate, and forms handsome, dense shrubs. European patent No. EU 40250 was granted in 2015.

Pruning is essential if you want a pretty plant which weigelas can easily be. Since they flower mostly on previous year's wood prune them by one third or even one half right after flowering in June so that they have enough of time to make plenty of new twigs that will mature quickly and bear plenty of flowers in the next season. Use them as screening plants in informal flowering hedges, in parks and public landscapes, or as specimens in small sized gardens.

Weigelas thrive in semi-fertile, slightly moist soil, preferably in full sun, however you can often see them growing in part shade or even complete shade and they still bloom. They can take heavy and compacted soil, too, but will need more time to become nice and bushy. Occasional flooding is not a problem, in fact, they prefer excess water rather than drought. Their hardiness varies with variety, but usually they withstand min. -29 °C (USDA zone 5).

Last update: 28-02-2022