How to Plant Pink Poppet Weigela

Overview

Pink poppet weigela is a small shrub that produces tiny pink blossoms in spring. It grows to a height of about 2 feet and is an ideal plant to include in a cottage-style garden. Weigela also makes a good foundation planting and, because of its small size, it will not overpower the surrounding plantings.

Step 1

Choose a site in full sun. Weigela will tolerate light, dappled shade but will produce fewer flowers. The site should have average, well-drained soil.

Step 2

Prepare the planting site. Dig a hole twice the size of the pink poppet weigela's root ball. Mix the soil you removed from the hole with a 5-gallon bucket of peat moss to improve the soil's drainage. Use a garden fork to loosen the soil at the bottom of the planting hole.

Step 3

Add some of the improved soil to the bottom of the hole. This raises the soil to the same level the weigela was growing in its nursery pot.

Step 4

Remove the weigela from its nursery pot and center it in the prepared hole. Gently spread out the roots.

Step 5

Back fill the hole with the improved soil, firming it down gently with your foot as you go.

Step 6

Use your hands to form a ridge of soil around the perimeter of the planting hole. This will keep water from draining away from the plant's roots.

Step 7

Set a hose to a slow trickle. Place the hose near the base of the weigela. Allow it to slowly saturate the soil, keeping it on for 1 to 2 hours. Thereafter, provide supplemental water only in times of drought; well-mulched weigela will grow and thrive without artificial watering.

Step 8

Mulch the planting hole with organic mulch (such as shredded bark, wood chips or buckwheat hulls). Put down a 4- to 6-inch layer, extending it out to the perimeter ridge you formed in Step 6.

Step 9

Fertilize weigela 4 to 6 weeks after planting. Pull back the mulch and spread all-purpose slow-release granulated fertilizer in a ring about 8 inches from the base of the plant. Incorporate it into the top layer of soil using your garden claw. Replace mulch. In subsequent years, fertilize weigela in early spring and again in midsummer.