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.
This cultivar will not produce viable seed.
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.
‘Pink Poppet’ is a dwarf, dense, rounded, deciduous shrub that typically grows to only 2’ tall and spreads to 2-3’ wide. It is the product of a breeding program that took place in the Czech Republic during the late 1980s wherein Weigela florida ‘Venusta’ (seed parent) was crossed with Weigela ‘Eva Rathke’ (pollen parent). ‘Pink Poppet’ was selected in 1991 as a shrub noted for its dwarf growth habit, early-blooming pink flowers and winter hardiness. Funnel-shaped, light pink flowers (each to 1.25” long) bloom profusely in late spring, with a sparse and scattered repeat bloom often occurring in mid to late summer. Elliptic to obovate, dark green leaves (to 3” long) with serrate margins retain good color throughout the growing season. Insignificant fall color. Fruit is inconspicuous. U. S. Plant Patent Applied For (PPAF).
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.