Weigela Week

In fact, both of our Weigela began flowering last week, but by late in week 2009/21 the colourful effect is complete, and these two shrubs are simply covered with flowers. Weigela's natural habit is to look like a fountain, with arching fronds spreading from the middle, but with a little help from stakes, one can train it to become a little more cylindrical and vertical. This is also the week when we see the first of the Eschscholzia californica 'Mission Bells' poppies, and the other Sorbus, S. aucuparia, comes into fine white flower. Late in the week, Magnolia sieboldii shyly offers two blooms. A specimen at the Arboretum is altogether more generous, with a couple of dozen white blooms, but these magnolias are high-strung and not always reliable. At the close of the week, I plant a Magnolia grandiflora, which is vigorously unfolding new leaves, practically day by day. The leaves begin as tight white tubes, rather like roll-your-own cigarettes, which then unfurl to reveal a glossy green upper side.