Bring long-lasting color and an easy, mounded form to your landscape with Weigela florida 'Very Fine Wine®' (Weigela 'Very Fine Wine®'). You get a compact, branching shrub with rich dark foliage and a vivid display of pink, trumpet-like flowers in late spring. Its size makes it especially useful where you want strong color but do not want a large, sprawling shrub.
Plant it where it receives full sun for the best flowering, though it will also grow in part shade. Give it well-drained soil and water regularly the first season to help it establish; after that, it handles typical garden conditions with minimal fuss. A 2-3 inch mulch layer helps even out soil moisture and keeps roots cooler in summer.
For a neat shape and reliable blooms, prune right after the main spring flowering, since flower buds form on older wood. If you need to renew an older plant, remove a few of the oldest stems at the base to encourage fresh growth while keeping plenty of flowering stems. Avoid heavy pruning in late summer, fall, or early spring if you want maximum bloom.
Use this dwarf weigela as a front-of-border shrub, along walkways, or in small-group plantings to echo its dark foliage through the season. It pairs well with perennials and grasses, and its spring flowers provide a welcome nectar source for visiting pollinators.