Weigela Red Flowers from Cardinal Shrub

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Jun 30, 2009Kathleen Airdrie

Cardinal Shrub (Weigela florida), very popular for generations, was enhanced through breeding into a wide assortment of cultivars.
Weigela florida’s common name, Weigela, is often misspelled as Wegeila or Wegelia.

Red Flowers and Plant Dependability
The species with red flowers was discovered in Asia and taken to Europe by Scottish botanist Robert Fortune in 1845. The genus Weigela florida of the Caprifoliaceae family (related to Honeysuckle) was named to honor botanist C. E. von Weigal. The word florida refers to the color of the flowers.

The genus contains ten species. Because of their flowers and dependability, the large shrubs with long, arching stems were widely cultivated in the mid-nineteenth century. Starting in 1867, hybridizers worked to develop new cultivars. There are now about 200 cultivars of Weigela florida, but not all are currently grown.