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Plant care

Weigela 'Wine & Roses' (Wine and Roses Weigela) care

Weigela florida 'Alexandra'

Also called Wine and Roses Weigela, Alexandra Weigela.

RHS H6USDA 4-8Mildly toxic to petsIndoor 90-120 cm tall and wide

Watering rhythm

7-10days

When the top 5 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 7-10 days during the growing season

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Light

Direct sun (at least 4-6 hours)

Soil

Fertile, moisture-retentive but free-draining loam or amended garden soil

Humidity

40-70%

Temp

-20 to 32°C

Pet safety

Mildly toxic to pets

Mature size

90-120 cm tall and wide

Care at a glance

Light

Aim for at least 4-6 hours of direct sun on the leaves. Full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sun daily) produces the best foliage colour and the most prolific flowering. Part shade is tolerated but reduces bloom density and dulls the purple-bronze leaf colour. If your only bright window faces south, that's perfect for weigela 'wine & roses' — same window any aroid would fry on.

Watering

Watering weigela 'wine & roses': when the top 5 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 7-10 days during the growing season. The number that matters isn't the day of the week — it's how dry the top 2-3 cm of the pot feels. A finger in the soil tells you more than a watering app. After every watering, tip the saucer. Water deeply but infrequently to encourage deep root growth. Established plants are moderately drought-tolerant. Reduce watering in autumn; virtually none needed when dormant in winter.

Soil and pot

Weigela 'Wine & Roses' grows best in fertile, moisture-retentive but free-draining loam or amended garden soil. A pH of 5.5-7.0 suits it well. Incorporate well-rotted compost at planting to boost drainage and fertility. Avoid waterlogged sites, which cause root rot. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Weigela 'Wine & Roses' sits happiest at around 40-70% humidity and -20 to 32°C (-4 to 90°F). Tolerates typical outdoor ambient humidity without issue. No supplemental humidity is needed; it is an outdoor landscape shrub and is not grown as a houseplant. If you keep the room above year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed weigela 'wine & roses' sparingly. Apply a balanced slow-release granular fertiliser (e.g. 10-10-10) in early spring as buds break. A second light application of a bloom-booster formula (higher P) in early summer can encourage repeat flowering. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on weigela 'wine & roses' in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

  • Powdery mildew — Appears as white coating on leaves in humid, congested conditions. Improve air circulation by selective thinning pruning and avoid overhead watering.
  • Aphids — Clusters on new shoot tips, causing leaf curl. A strong jet of water or insecticidal soap spray resolves most infestations.
  • Poor flowering — Usually caused by pruning at the wrong time. Weigela blooms on old wood; prune only immediately after the main spring flush, not in autumn or early spring.
  • Scale insects — Appear as brown bumps on stems. Treat with horticultural oil in late winter before bud break.
  • Leaf scorch — Brown leaf margins in summer indicate drought stress or reflected heat. Mulch the root zone and ensure adequate watering during dry spells.

Companion plants

Weigela 'Wine & Roses' pairs well with Salvia nemorosa, Geranium 'Rozanne', Nepeta x faassenii, and Calamagrostis x acutiflora. These are species with similar light and water needs, so you can group them in the same room or on the same shelf and water as a batch.

Propagation

Take 10-15 cm softwood cuttings in late spring or early summer, dip in rooting hormone, and root in a perlite-grit mix with bottom heat around 18-21°C. Hardwood cuttings taken in late autumn also root reliably. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Weigela 'Wine & Roses' is mildly toxic to pets. Weigela is not individually listed in the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants database. No severe toxicity is documented in veterinary literature, but ingestion of foliage or berries may cause mild gastrointestinal upset in pets; classify as mildly-toxic as a precaution. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Weigela 'Wine & Roses' care — frequently asked questions

What is the common name for Weigela florida 'Alexandra'?

Weigela florida 'Alexandra' is most commonly called Weigela 'Wine & Roses', but it is also known as Wine and Roses Weigela, Alexandra Weigela. The names refer to the same species, so care instructions for Weigela 'Wine & Roses' apply identically to anything sold as Wine and Roses Weigela.

How much light does weigela 'wine & roses' need?

Weigela 'Wine & Roses' grows best in direct sun (at least 4-6 hours). Full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sun daily) produces the best foliage colour and the most prolific flowering. Part shade is tolerated but reduces bloom density and dulls the purple-bronze leaf colour.

How often should I water weigela 'wine & roses'?

Water weigela 'wine & roses' when the top 5 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 7-10 days during the growing season. Water deeply but infrequently to encourage deep root growth. Established plants are moderately drought-tolerant. Reduce watering in autumn; virtually none needed when dormant in winter. The finger-test (or lifting the pot to feel its weight) beats a fixed weekly calendar because pot size, light, and season all change how fast the soil dries.

Is weigela 'wine & roses' toxic to cats and dogs?

Weigela 'Wine & Roses' is mildly toxic to pets. Weigela is not individually listed in the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants database. No severe toxicity is documented in veterinary literature, but ingestion of foliage or berries may cause mild gastrointestinal upset in pets; classify as mildly-toxic as a precaution.

What USDA hardiness zone does weigela 'wine & roses' grow in?

Weigela 'Wine & Roses' is rated for USDA zone 4-8 and RHS hardiness H6. Outside that range, grow it as a container plant that overwinters indoors before the first hard frost.

Weigela 'Wine & Roses' deep-dive guides

Every aspect of weigela 'wine & roses' care, each with its own calibrated guide:

Featured in these plant shortlists

Weigela 'Wine & Roses' qualifies for 4 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

Related guides

Weigela 'Wine & Roses' is also commonly called Wine and Roses Weigela or Alexandra Weigela.