Dwarf weigela 'My Monet'
Weigela florida 'My Monet' · Caprifoliaceae
A tiny, mounding weigela with leaves variegated in green, cream and pink, and pink flowers in late spring.
- Size
- 18 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 6
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Late May to mid June
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around dwarf weigela 'My Monet'
The planner designed this bed around dwarf weigela 'My Monet' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) formal bed in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why dwarf weigela 'My Monet' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Dwarf weigela 'My Monet' × 1, pink
- 2 Three-toothed cinquefoil × 18, white
- 3 Gas plant × 1, white
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 5 Purple milkweed × 6, purple
- 6 Tiger lily × 4, orange
- 7 Allium 'Globemaster' × 4, purple
Why this plant
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
- The only trumpets. The others are open bowls, spires, daisies and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only pink.
Why here
- In the middle. At 18 in it is the step between three-toothed cinquefoil (6 in) in front and brown-eyed Susan (4 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- One plant. Three or more is usual for a plant of this kind, and reads better.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From late May to mid June.
- Part of the bed's peak. With three-toothed cinquefoil, gas plant, purple milkweed and others in early June: 5 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as a formal bed: 36 of the 37 plants (97%) are mirrored across the middle of the bed: each stands on the middle line or has a twin of its own kind opposite it. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 48% of the visual weight and the right half 52%. The scheme leans cool (pink and purple) and uses yellow and orange for warmth, with white to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 5 Good, 1 Satisfactory.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where dwarf weigela 'My Monet' goes in a border
At 18 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: edging. A low, neat plant used in short runs of three or five along the front to finish the edge (or, in a formal bed, in one even row).
A foliage plant first. It is small enough to use as you would a perennial. Shade from hot afternoon sun keeps the leaves from scorching.
- Variegated foliage at the front of a bed
- Edging
- Containers
What to plant with dwarf weigela 'My Monet'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Coral bells: its burgundy leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': in flower together for two weeks, from early June.
- Salvia 'May Night': in flower together for three weeks, from late May; spires rising out of its mound.
Questions about dwarf weigela 'My Monet'
Does dwarf weigela 'My Monet' need sun or shade?
Dwarf weigela 'My Monet' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does dwarf weigela 'My Monet' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 6. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 6 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does dwarf weigela 'My Monet' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to mid June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Late May to late June |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Late May to mid June |
| Zone 6 | Mid May to mid June |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should dwarf weigela 'My Monet' be planted?
24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 18 in (45 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many dwarf weigela 'My Monet' plants do I need?
At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 10 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as runs of three or five along the front (or one even row, in a formal bed).
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is dwarf weigela 'My Monet' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like dwarf weigela 'My Monet'?
Dwarf weigela 'My Monet' comes from Northern China, Korea and Japan. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound': the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; belongs in the middle, not at the front, white, not pink.
- Scarlet coral bells: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 8 in narrower, flowers late May to late July.
- Alpine aster: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 8 in shorter, 12 in narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat dwarf weigela 'My Monet'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after dwarf weigela 'My Monet'?
Dwarf weigela 'My Monet' is over by mid June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': from early June to early October, 18 in tall (a recorded partner).
- Creeping thyme: from early June to mid July, 3 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
What does dwarf weigela 'My Monet' look like in winter?
Dwarf weigela 'My Monet' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is dwarf weigela 'My Monet' good for bees and butterflies?
Dwarf weigela 'My Monet' is visited by butterflies and hummingbirds.
More Weigela
- Weigela 'Red Prince' Weigela 'Red Prince'
- Weigela 'Sonic Bloom Pink' Weigela florida 'Bokrasopin' (Sonic Bloom Pink)
- Weigela 'Spilled Wine' Weigela florida 'Bokraspiwi' (Spilled Wine)
- Weigela 'Wine & Roses' Weigela florida 'Wine & Roses'
In these guides
- Salt-tolerant plants for roadsides and coasts
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants for hummingbirds
- Plants for butterflies
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 18 in (45 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 24 in (60 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late May to mid June; trumpets; pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; variegated
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 6
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Caprifoliaceae
- Comes from
- Northern China, Korea and Japan
- Attracts
- Butterflies, hummingbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, salt
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.