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Variegated Weigela #875657

Asked July 02, 2024, 1:00 PM EDT

I have an older Variegated Weigela. Can it be rejuvenated. It used to flower beautifully but has not in the past two years. Any advice? Thank you

Medina County Ohio

Expert Response

You should be able to rejuvenate your weigela although it may take two or three years.


Weigela blooms on year old wood. The buds set soon after the shrub has bloomed so the best time to prune your weigela is right after it has bloomed but before the buds have set. Since you didn’t have blooms this year and probably don’t have buds, the next best time is winter after all the leaves have fallen off and we’ve had two or three really cold spells, probably around January. If you do it too soon, before the plant has gone dormant it will stimulate new growth which will not be able to withstand winter and the shrub may die. Also, in January it will not be exposed to diseases and insects.


In order to rejuvenate your shrub, you’ll want to remove the old wood. Stems that are 1 ½ inches thick or thicker should be removed. Do not remove all old branches at once unless you want to entirely renovate your shrub. Only remove about 1/3 of the branches and plan to remove another 1/3 next year. Cut them at the base. You may choose to remove a few not so old branches that are crossing older branches or that are not contributing to the overall shape you want, but only remove about 1/3 at a time.


If your weigela is made of nearly all branches that are more than 1 ½ inches thick or obviously old, you may choose to entirely renovate your shrub. To do this you’ll want to cut all the old stems to about 4 – 6 inches above the ground. Since weigela bloom on year old wood, you’ll need to wait a year for flowers.


For more information you’ll probably want to read https://www.cleveland.com/insideout/2009/12/late_fall_is_not_the_time_to_p.html
, and https://extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/documents/12281/pruningtreesshrubs.pdf.


I think you’ll definitely like to watch the video put out by OSU master gardeners on how to prune weigela. It’s only about 14 minutes long but it’s exceptionally good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUNZ4MoR-ao


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