Weigela Eva Rathke

The Weigelia 'Eva Rathke' is an old hybrid variety, with a fairly compact habit. With its beautiful dark carmine red bell-shaped flowers, this small bush is wonderful in a pot, as a flowering hedge, or in large landscape beds. Easy to grow in moist soil, perfectly hardy, it transforms from late spring to late summer into a cascade of crimson red. The flowering is even longer when grown as a bush, and as a sterile hybrid, does not exhaust itself by bearing fruit. Its radiant tone is well highlighted by a thick foliage, of a beautiful dark green colour.

The hybrid Weigela 'Eva Rathke' is a German variety dating back to 1890, awarded shortly after by the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit. It is the parent, among others, of the famous variety 'Bristol Ruby'. Weigelas are Asian, originating from northern China, Japan and Korea, and belong to the Caprifoliaceae family, just like honeysuckles. 'Eva Rathke' is a calcicolous shrub (preferring chalky soils) that has a fibrous and trailing root system, which perfectly withstands transplantation. It has a bushy and rounded habit, and forms a branched bush, measuring about 1.5 m (4 in 11 ft) in all directions at maturity. Its funnel-shaped flowers, large compared to other types, have two shades of red; they are carmine red on the periphery, a slightly deeper red in the centre. The flower buds are dark red. They are borne in corymbs, at the ends of the previous year's branches, and bloom abundantly from May to June, then more sporadically in summer. Its deciduous foliage is composed of dark green, immobile leaves, downy on the underside, with an oval shape, measuring between 4 and 8 cm (1.6 - 3.1 in) in length. They take warm red-orange hues in autumn.

Hardy beyond -20°C (-4 °F), the Weigela 'Eva Rathke' thrives in sunny or semi-shaded positions, in a moist but well-drained soil. Its arching and vigorous habit makes it a very ornamental shrub, whose abundant flowering with brilliant hues, far from being dull, enlivens any hedge throughout the summer. In a bed, for example, give it companions such as Abelia, Cotoneaster, variegated Japanese spindle trees, Kerria japonica, Viburnum carlesii, mahonias, Hydrangea, variegated dogwoods, spiraeas, ornamental brambles, or even a hedge honeysuckle. In the background, the very dark foliage of holly or yew will form a beautiful setting for its generous flowering and provide the backdrop in winter.