Weigela Pink-Flowered Group

'Abel Carrière'

Raised by Lemoine in 1876, this cultivar has large, bright carmine to pinkish-red flowers, their throats speckled gold or yellow, borne profusely from late spring to early summer. To 2 × 2 m (Brickell 2003).

'Aldenham Glow'

According to Howard (1965) this selection with pale pink flowers was received from Vicary Gibbs by RBG Kew in 1926. He adds that ‘No validating reference [for the name] has been found’ (Howard 1965) and that remains the case today, however it continues to be reported from collections such the National Collection at the Sheffield Botanical Gardens, UK, from where an illustration shows pale pink blooms, but no other details are currently known.

'Bokrafour'

Like Weigela ‘Bokrafive’, ‘Bokrafour’ is one of the relatively new Colorstar™ series cultivars, growing to c. 1 m × 1 m with green leaves and pink flowers over a long flowering period (conceptplants.com).

'Boskoop Glory'

Released by F.J. Grootendorst and Sons, Boskoop, the Netherlands in 1954. The large flowers are salmon-pink, a significant colour breakthrough at the time (Howard 1965).

'Bouquet Rose'

Raised by Lemoine in 1899 this early-flowering cultivar has large flowers, wide-opening at the mouth, pink with a pale hem, the throat spekled with straw-coloured spots (Howard 1965; Hoffmann 2007).

'Buisson Fleuri'

Raised by Lemoine, France, in c. 1911, this selection has large purple-pink flowers in compact clusters (Hoffmann 2007).

'Congo'

A floriferous selection with pink-purple flowers, raised by Lemoine c. 1886 (Hoffmann 2007).

'Conquête'

Raised by Lemoine in c. 1896. A large growing shrub of open habit, with large leaves and pink flowers, paler than ‘Abel Carrière’ (Hoffmann 2007).

'Courtatom'

This is a large growing shrub with (sometimes very) pale-pink flowers and excellent red autumn colour. It was selected at INRA, Angers, France, as a sport of ‘Le Printemps’ during the 20th century (Hoffmann 2007).

'Dart's Overflow'

Raised in the Netherlands by Darthuizer Boomkwekerijen BV. and released in c. 1994. This is a spreading shrub to 1.5 m tall, usually broader than tall, with small pink-red blooms. It is a floriferous selection, and late flowering (June). (Hoffmann 2007).

'Dart's Pink Lady'

A low, spreading shrub, to c. 1.4 m tall and 1.5 m wide, with pale purple-pink flowers. Its stature helps to distinguish it from selections with similar flower colours such as ‘Pink Princess’, ‘Féerie’ and ‘Floreal’. Raised by Darthuizer Boomkwekerijen BV., Leersum, the Netherlands in c. 1987 (Hoffmann 2007).

'Dropmore Pink'

A very hardy pink-flowered form selected in Dropmore, Canada, by F.L. Skinner in 1951, having been grown on from seed collected in northern Manchuria (Howard 1965; Hoffmann 2007). It has a dense, rounded habit, typically 1.3–1.8 m tall and broad with large (to 10 cm long) dark green leaves (missouribotanicalgarden.org). It would appear to be much more commonly cultivated in North America than in Europe, though its considerable winter hardiness ought to make it a useful plant for colder regions of Europe.

'Espérance'

This is one of the earliest-flowering pink Weigela, with very large pale-pink flowers, which open from a darker-pink bud. It was raised by Lemoine c. 1906 (Hoffmann 2007).

'Féerie'

The synonyms are taken from Howard (1965) who lists them as spelling errors (‘Ferri’ and ‘Ferieri’) and an incorrect translation (‘Fairy’) which commonly appeared in North American catalogues in the mid-20th century. This clone has upright trusses of large rose-pink flowers that partly obscure the foliage. It was raised by Lemoine & Fils in 1926 (Howard 1965).

'Fleur de Mai'

Raised by Lemoine and Fils in 1899, this clone has dense clusters of flowers marbled purple-rose outside, paler within the tube. An early-flowering selection, as the name suggests (Howard 1965; Hillier & Coombes 2002).

'Floréal'

Howard (1965) suggests this is a cultivar of W. praecox, released by Lemoine & Fils in 1929. It is an early-flowering selection with very large flowers of pale rose with reflexed mauve lobes, darkening in the throat. Hoffmann (2007) notes that the growth can be quite weak and the stems brittle. He adds that the flowers are paler than other pink-purple clones, notably ‘Pink Princess’, which he suggests is superior.

'Gloire de Bosquets'

A relatively low but very wide-spreading selection with pale-pink flowers, raised by Lemoine c. 1881 (Hoffmann 2007).

'Gracieux'

Released by Lemoine & Fils in 1904. This is a floriferous, upright selection, the flowers pink on the outside, sulphur-yellow in the throat (Howard 1965).

'Grandiflora'

An early selection, raised in France before 1867, with large leaves and white-ish to pale pink flowers (Hoffmann 2007).

'Groenewegenii'

A very early selection, thought to have been raised in Belgium by van Houtte in c. 1859, deriving from a cross of W. coraeensis × W. florida. It is large, growing to over 2 m tall, with dark pink flowers with paler speckles, to 2.5 cm across at the mouth (Hoffmann 2007).

'Gustave Malet'

Raised by Billiard at Fontenay-aux-Roses, France, in c. 1868. Described as very floriferous, it grows to be over 2 m tall with as great a spread. The flowers are long, very wide at the mouth, to 3.5 cm across, deep red in colour with paler sectors (Howard 1965; Hoffmann 2007). In many respects is sounds like a darker and larger-flowered ‘Groenewegenii’ and Howard (1965) suggests it is dervied from the same cross (W. coraeensis × W. florida).

'Idéal'

This Weigela praecox hybrid was raised by Lemoine in c. 1926. It is a relatively compact shrub, floriferous, with large clusters of carmine-pink coloured flowers, which are darker than most other pink-flowered Weigela (Hoffmann 2007).

'Lavallei'

Raised by van Houtte in Belgium and released c. 1869 (Howard 1965). The flowers are deep-pink with a protruding white stigma (Hillier & Coombes 2002).

'Le Printemps'

A large early-flowering shrub with very pale-pink to nearly white flowers. Raised by Lemoine c. 1901 (Hoffmann 2007).

'Madame Couturier'

Another Billiard hybrid raised before 1868. It is late flowering, with white flowers, which turn rose as they age (Howard 1965).

'Madame Lemoine'

This cross between Weigela coraeensis and W. florida was raised by Billiard in France in c. 1878. It makes a large shrub with large pale-pink flowers to 3 cm across (Hoffmann 2007).

'Majestueux'

An ultimately large shrub with an upright growth habit and rose-pink flowers, raised by Lemoine c. 1930 (Hoffmann 2007).

'Messager'

Raised by Lemoine in c. 1911, this selection has large pink flowers with rounded lobes (Hoffmann 2007).

'Othello'

Raised by Lemoine c. 1882. A form with narrow mid-pink flowers with carmine veins, sulphur-yellow in the tube (Howard 1965).

'Pink Princess'

Raised at Iowa State University in 1974, this selection has excellent purple-pink coloration, better (according to Hoffmann) than many older clones including ‘Féerie’ and ‘Floréal’, and it is earlier to flower than these (Hoffmann 2007).

'Polka'

Beyond agreeing that this was selected by F.J. Svejda at the Ottowa Research Station in 1986, the descriptions of Hatch (2018–2020) and Hoffmann (2007) could scarcely be more different. Hatch describes it as a very hardy compact form up to 1 m tall and 1–1.5 m wide with pink flowers, yellow inside, while Hoffmann suggests it can reach 2 m × 2 m and that the inside of the flower tube lacks any yellow colouration at all, marking it out from otherwise similar clones such as ‘Pink Princess’, ‘Féerie’ and ‘Floréal’. An illustration from the UK National Collection website supports Hoffmann’s description of the flower colour, but does not indicate the ultimate size.

'President Duchartre'

In his 2007 Dendroflora paper Hoffmann places this clone within the Red-Flowered Group, describing it as a ‘Medium height shrub with fairly small red flowers’ (Hoffmann 2007) while the following year, in his Acta Horticulturae paper, it has been transferred to the Pink-Flowered Group but with no description. An illustration from the UK National Collection clearly shows pale pink flowers, but no further characters.

'Rosabella'

Raised at the Boomkwekerij experimental station in Boskoop, the Netherlands, c. 1958, from a cross of W. ‘Eva Rathke’ and W. ‘Newport Red’. It is a wide-growing, relatively low shrub with arching branches. The flowers are large, pale-pink, up to 3.5 cm across at the mouth (Hoffmann 2007).

'Rosea'

Weigela rosea is an old name for W. florida, long since placed into synonymy, and it has left a legacy of problems. The name is still widely encountered as a cultivar but the attempts of Hoffmann and his colleagues to define a clone against this name proved impossible because there are multiple clones re grown as ‘Rosea’. Different entities grown as W. ‘Rosea’ were found in the collections of the botanical gardens at Wageningen, the Netherlands, and at Sheffield, UK, as part of their research. Neither of these was considered to be of significant merit compared with other, named Pink-Flowered Group cultivars (Hoffmann 2007).

'Rumba'

Raised by F. Svedja at the Ottawa Research Station, Canada, in 1985, ‘Rumba’ grows to c. 1.7 m tall and 1.5 m broad with arching stems. The green leaves are tinted red-purple when young, and the flowers are described as deep purple-pink when young, lightening slightly as they age (Hoffmann 2007).

'Styriaca'

Raised in Germany before 1908, Howard (1965) describes it as a fast-growing floriferious clone with carmine-pink flowers.

'Van Houttei'

A hybrid between Weigela hortensis and W. florida. It has strongly arching branches and large flowers to 3 cm across (Hoffmann 2007). Howard described the flower colour thus: ‘Flowers carmine colored washed with rose, the large mouth pure white, the interior lilac violet’ (Howard 1965).

'Verschaffeltii'

This selection was raised by Van Houtte, Ghent, in about 1876. It is noted for its wide-spreading habit, whilst being relatively low (Hoffmann 2007).