Catalog Description
Generous clusters of magenta pink flowers stand out boldly against bronze leaves with striking lime green venation. Shorter stature makes a valuable foundation plant that fits well in small gardens. Dense, spreading habit is particularly good coverage in the foreground of shrub borders or on banks. Shape plants after spring bloom. Deciduous. Full sun. Moderate growth to 3 feet tall and about as wide. |
Design Ideas
A smaller version of Wine & Roses better fits into small gardens but still deserves high profile locations in foundation planting. Best located on light color walls or use the intense foliage color to mark entries around porch or stoop. Essential to the middle of a shrub border for multi-season interest. Makes a good accent against yellow and lime green foliage plants. Great choice for romantic cottage garden compositions and causal country gardens along picket fences or rails. |
Companion Plants
This beauty deserves to be combined with strong contrasting foliage of Variegated Hydrangea, (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Variegata), Golden Nugget Dwarf Japanese Barberry, (Berberis thunbergii ‘Monlers’), Variegated Fallopia, (Fallopia japonica ‘Variegata’), and French Lace Weigela, (Weigela florida ‘Brigela’).
Combine with hardy perennials such as Festiva Maxima Peony, (Paeonia x ‘Festiva Maxima’), Visions Astilbe, (Astilbe chinensis ‘Visions’) and Auslese Lady’s Mangle, (Alchemilla mollis ‘Auslese’).
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Average Landscape Size
Low, spreading shrub 3 ft. tall and wide. |
Key Plant Benefits
Dark bronze foliage with lime-green veneation combines with pinkish-red tubular flowers to make a dramatic statement in the landscape. Neat, compact habit is easy to maintain. Deciduous. |
Care Instructions
Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish an extensive root system. Feed regularly during the growing season with a general purpose fertilizer. Prune annually in late winter to promote vigorous new growth. |
Growth Conditions
| Growth Rate |
 Moderate Growing |
| Growth Habit |
| Spreading |
| Heat Zones |
High:
| 8 (>90 to 120 days) |
| Low: | 1 (< 1 days) |
| Cold Hardiness |
| High: | 8 (10 to 20 F) (see map) |
| Low: | 4 (-30 to -20 F) |
| Water Requirements |
| Water regularly, when top 3" of soil is dry. |
| Sun Exposure |
| Full sun |
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Flower or Bloom description:
| Flowering Time/Season |
| Pinkish-red flowers in spring. |
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Propagation
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Attributes
Compact Habit
Dramatic Foliage Color
Flowers for Cutting |
Foliage
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Plant Lore
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Plant History
This whole group of plants had originally been grouped into one genus, Diervilla, which today contains only the European species and those of North America. When the flood of far more ornamental Asian species entered the market botanists found them so different they classified these separately into their own genus which contains about ten cultivated species. It was named for Christian von Weigel, 1748-1831, a professor at Grieifswald, German and author of Flora Pomerano-Rugica published in 1769. This species, W. florida was collected in China by Robert Fortune, 1812-1880, who worked form the Horticultural Society. He is credited with its introduction as Diervilla florida about 1846. Fortune found it in the garden of a mandarin in the Chusan region. Dark Horse was developed by English breeder Peter Moore. |
New Plant
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