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Weigela florida 'Nana Variegata'
Compact Deciduous Shrub with Stunning Variegated Foliage
Overview
Weigela florida 'Nana Variegata' is an outstanding compact deciduous shrub that brings year-round interest to gardens of all sizes. This delightful variety combines beautiful cream-edged variegated foliage with charming rosy-pink bell-shaped flowers, creating a sophisticated display from early summer onwards. Perfect for smaller gardens, containers, and front-of-border plantings, this hardy shrub offers exceptional ornamental value with minimal maintenance requirements.
Key Features & Benefits
Stunning Variegated Foliage: Green leaves with cream edges that start golden in spring and mature to creamy-white, providing continuous colour interest throughout the growing season.
Compact Growth: Naturally rounded, tidy habit that maintains its shape with minimal pruning, making it perfect for small spaces and low-maintenance gardens.
Long-Lasting Blooms: Reliable displays of soft rosy-pink, bell-shaped flowers from early summer, attracting pollinators and adding seasonal charm.
Versatile Size: Ideal for front-of-border plantings, patio containers, and foundation plantings where space is at a premium.
Low Maintenance: Undemanding and easy to grow, requiring minimal care once established.
Plant Specifications
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Botanical Name: Weigela florida 'Nana Variegata'
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Common Names: Variegated Dwarf Weigela, Nana Variegata
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Plant Type: Deciduous flowering shrub
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Mature Size: Height 1.0m-1.5m mature spread 1.0m-1.5m
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Growth Habit: Compact, rounded, naturally tidy form
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Hardiness: Fully hardy
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Time to Maturity: 5-10 years to reach full size
Flowering & Seasonal Interest
Bloom Time: Early summer, with long-season flowering period
Flower Colour: Soft rosy-pink to pale pink, bell-shaped tubular flowers
Flower Form: Small clusters of funnel-shaped blooms on short side shoots
Foliage: Mid-green leaves with cream-white edges that start golden in spring and mature to creamy-white as the season progresses
Seasonal Changes: Attractive variegated foliage provides interest from spring through autumn, with gracefully arching branches creating winter structure
Blooming Pattern: Flowers appear on previous year's growth
Growing Conditions & Care
Light Requirements
Thrives in full sun for best flowering and foliage colour development. Will tolerate partial shade, though variegation may be less pronounced and flowering slightly reduced in shadier conditions.
Soil Preferences
Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils. Adaptable to most moist but well-drained fertile soils. Tolerates various soil types but prefers well-draining conditions.
Watering Needs
Requires consistent moisture during establishment. Once mature, shows good drought tolerance but performs best with regular watering during extended dry periods.
Fertilising
Apply balanced general-purpose fertiliser in early spring before new growth begins. Avoid over-fertilising, which can reduce the intensity of the attractive variegated foliage.
Pruning
Prune to shape immediately after flowering to maintain the naturally tidy form and encourage next year's blooms. Remove approximately one-third of the oldest canes annually if needed. Minimal pruning required due to naturally compact habit.
Garden Uses & Design Ideas
Front-of-Border Planting: Perfect height and spread for front-of-border positions where the variegated foliage can be fully appreciated
Container Growing: Excellent choice for patio pots and containers, bringing colour to terraces and balconies
Small Gardens: Ideal for restricted spaces where larger shrubs would be overwhelming
Foundation Plantings: Perfect scale for planting around homes and buildings
Mixed Borders: Provides structure and year-round interest in perennial and mixed shrub borders
Groundcover: Can be used as attractive groundcover in larger plantings
Companion Planting Ideas
Complementary Plants: Pairs beautifully with:
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Deep purple or burgundy foliage plants for dramatic contrast
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Blue or purple flowering perennials to complement the pink blooms
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Solid green foliage plants to highlight the variegation
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Spring bulbs for extended seasonal interest
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Ornamental grasses for textural variety
Wildlife & Environmental Benefits
Pollinator Support: Attracts bees and other beneficial pollinators during its extended flowering period
Deer Resistance: Naturally deer-resistant, making it suitable for gardens in areas with deer pressure
Low Environmental Impact: Minimal water and fertiliser requirements once established make it an eco-friendly choice
Urban Tolerance: Good tolerance of urban pollution and challenging growing conditions
Why Choose Weigela 'Nana Variegata'?
This exceptional cultivar represents the perfect solution for gardeners seeking maximum visual impact in a compact, manageable package. The stunning variegated foliage provides year-round interest, whilst the reliable pink blooms add seasonal charm that attracts both gardeners and pollinators.
'Nana Variegata' is particularly valuable for modern gardens where space is at a premium. Its naturally tidy, rounded habit means it maintains an attractive shape with minimal intervention, making it ideal for busy gardeners who want beautiful results without constant maintenance.
The variegated foliage is especially striking, with leaves that begin golden in spring and mature to elegant cream-white edges, creating a sophisticated colour palette that complements virtually any garden design. This seasonal progression adds an extra dimension of interest that sets it apart from solid-coloured shrubs.
Perhaps most importantly, this hardy shrub combines exceptional beauty with remarkable reliability. Once established, it consistently produces stunning displays year after year with just basic care, making it an excellent investment for gardeners of all experience levels.
The compact size and deer resistance make it perfect for suburban gardens, whilst its container-growing capabilities extend its usefulness to urban gardeners with limited space. Whether used as a specimen plant or incorporated into mixed plantings, 'Nana Variegata' consistently delivers refined beauty that enhances any garden setting.
Buying Shrubs from Jacksons Nurseries
At Jacksons Nurseries we sell a variety of shrubs both evergreen and deciduous with a variety of flowering times throughout the year. At certain times of the year our shrubs you buy from us may not look like the images shown on our website when deciduous leaves have fallen, the shrub has finished flowering or has been trimmed back.
Some leaves on evergreen shrubs can be damaged in winter by frost or harsh winds but in spring new leaves will readily replace those damaged. This is quite normal on many evergreen varieties and is preferable to plants grown with excessive protection that show cold shock once planted out and establish less satisfactory initially.
Availability: Stock availability figures are provided as a guide only. There is a delay between orders being placed and the plants being gathered by our pulling team. During this time it may be possible for a member of the public to purchase these plants from our Garden Centre, while this is rare it is a possibility and we will notify you of any problems as soon as possible. This figure may also include plants that have not yet be flagged as unsaleable.
Pre-order: Pre-order times are given as a guide only and may vary dependent on the growing season. Orders containing Pre-ordered products will be shipped as a single order when all items become available. Large orders may be part shipped, please contact us on 01782 502741 or email sales@jacksonsnurseries.co.uk.
* Please Note: Shrubs in 20 litre pots and above might require a pallet delivery starting at £79.99 per pallet. Depending on the exact pot size and height it may be possible to get approximately 5 plants per pallet at no extra cost. The maximum height we can dispatch on a pallet is 2.0m, this includes the height of the pallet and pot.
Shrubs are deciduous or evergreen woody plants, and often provide fragrant flowers, berries and foliage. They are good for structural framework, and they can provide a wonderful shelter and food source for wildlife.
Planting and Conditions
Container grown shrubs can be grown at any time of year. It is a little known fact that shrubs planted in the autumn and winter will be easier to look after than those planted in the spring and summer, because they will have time to establish and become hardy in the cooler months.
Plant the shrub at the same depth as it was in its original pot. Planting too deeply can result in root and stem rot.
One of the biggest causes of death in new shrubs is drought stress, so keep it well watered until it’s established.
Make sure you loosen the soil prior to planting. Most shrubs are tolerant of most soil types as long as it is fairly well draining.
Most shrubs will grow happily in containers, but they will be much more demanding on feeding and watering than shrubs in the ground would be. They will also need potting on every couple of years so that they don’t suffocate or become stunted in their pot.
Aftercare and Pruning
Once established, shrubs generally do not require much water. However, at first they need careful, frequent watering and should not be left to dry out.
Shrubs in the ground are generally not demanding and in most cases, annual feeding with general purpose fertilizer will suffice. Shrubs in containers may need more feeding; usually from early spring until late summer.
Shrubs also benefit from mulching in order to supress weeds, conserve moisture and provide vital nutrients. Mulch also greatly improves soil conditions. Shrubs can be mulched in late winter, after fertiliser has been applied, but it can be mulched through autumn to late spring as long as the ground is damp.
All shrubs benefit from dead-heading once spent flowers become apparent. Rhododendrons and Lilac especially benefit from the removal of dead flowers.
Some shrubs may show signs of reverted growth or ‘sporting’. This is where random shoots of different leaves associated with the plant’s parentage begin to appear. Most commonly this is where plants with variegated leaves sprout pure green growths instead of variegated ones.
To control reversion, remove reverted shoots promptly to discourage them. Reverted shoots are usually much more vigorous than the variegated ones, and thus should be completely pruned out and cut back into wood containing variegated foliage.
Potential Issues
Although shrubs are usually very robust garden plants, they can sometimes start to decline with no apparent or obvious reason.
This will start with browning leaves, which could indicate plant stress due to lack of water or waterlogging, an establishment failure or, in the worst case scenario, honey fungus. Another cause of leaf browning is a high salt content in the soil. This could be a natural occurrence, especially if you live near the ocean, or it could be from over fertilisation.
To remedy a high salt content, cut back on fertiliser and step up your watering regime for the next few weeks. If you live by the ocean, this will be harder to remedy—but stepping up your watering will help to wash some of the salt away all the same.
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£9.99 |