Culture
Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Needs full sun for best flowering and foliage color, but will tolerate very light shade. Prune to shape immediately after flowering.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Weigela is a genus of about 12 species of deciduous shrubs from East Asia. They are grown for their showy spring flowers.
The genus name Weigela honors Christian Ehrenfried Weigel (1748-1831), German professor at the University of Geifswald.
‘Courtalor’, commonly sold under the trade name of CARNAVAL, is a dense, rounded, deciduous weigela that typically grows to 3-5’ tall and as wide. Funnel-shaped flowers (to 1.5” long) in shades of white, pink and red bloom in late spring to early summer, with a sparse and scattered repeat bloom occurring in mid to late summer. Elliptic to oblong to obovate, medium green leaves (to 4” long) retain good color throughout the growing season.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems.
Uses
Good flowering and foliage shrub. Specimen or group for shrub borders. Also effective as a hedge. May be incorporated into a foundation planting.