Do I need to cover the weigela for the winter or how to preserve the flowering shrub for many years

Tell me, is it necessary to cover the weigela for the winter? I bought a very young bush in the spring, planted it in the garden in a secluded corner. There are no drafts there, the sun shines most of the day, and in winter it does not blow out. Will the plant be able to overwinter without shelter, and if not, how to protect it from frost?

All summer, weigela pleases gardeners not only with beautiful foliage and reddish twigs, but also with abundant flowering. With the arrival of autumn, many people have a question whether it is necessary to cover the weigela for the winter. It's one thing if the bush is young and it's not problematic to build a defense for it. But what to do with mature, spreading shrubs? For such a scale, it will already be necessary to build entire structures, but is it really necessary? Let's figure it out.

Do I need to cover the weigela for the winter

Indeed, every year the plant grows stronger and develops resistance to adverse conditions. This includes resisting severe frosts. But only ripe lignified shoots have such properties. Young twigs are still fragile, with thin green bark - they will not survive the frosty winter.

It is advisable to cover bushes up to 5 years old for the winter, and in the first wintering of the seedling it is simply necessary. Plants are also subject to shelter after transplantation. Before winter, they still do not have time to get strong enough.

In addition, it is worth considering the fact that the weigela generally has not very powerful branches. Even if frost does not damage them, the shoots may not withstand the severity of the snow cover and break. In the central and northern strip, it is necessary to cover shrubs not only for protection from frost, but also from snow.

But weigela can survive warm southern winters with scant precipitation without shelter. It will be enough just to mulch the bushes well and cover the trunk with earth in the form of a mound.

How to cover a shrub

Each grower has his own ways of preparing weigela for wintering. Two methods are most often used, depending on the age and height of the plant, as well as on the growing climate:

1. Frame. It is convenient to hide not very tall bushes completely, having built a kind of house for them. For this, arcs are installed over the plant and a film is stretched over them, and even better - lutrasil. The ends of the film are sprinkled with earth. In northern latitudes, spruce branches are still laid on top of the frame.
2. Bending down shoots. This method is suitable for large mature shrubs. In order not to erect whole greenhouses, it is more advisable to gently bend the branches with an arc, wrap them with burlap and secure with staples. Previously, under the bush, the soil is mulched with spruce branches - so the shoots will not lie on the ground. The weigela laid on its side is covered with roofing material - now it will be easier to do it.

Whichever method is used, you should start sheltering the weigela no earlier than the first frosts come. Otherwise, the branches can get out. In addition, this should be done in dry weather. Shoots and soil should not be wet.

Closer to spring, you need to monitor the weather and remove the shelter in time, as soon as severe frosts pass. The sun is already starting not only to shine, but also to warm. The covered weigela will surely not resist fungus and decay if you do not free it.

How to build a frame for sheltering weigels for the winter - video