The same shrub you thought was weigela? You don't have to do anything to it if you don't want :-) The bottom growth will grow up and hide the bare 'legs' if you wish, eventualy making it more shrub-like than the tree form it is now. Or you can remove if you prefer for a tidier look.....it won't really affect the topgrowth much one way or the other. Personally, I'd allow the bottom to fill in, as that seems to have the best coloring/most intense variegation, which is what this shrub is known for.

And I would encourage you to remove any plastic or landscape fabric surrounding these plants. The plastic will interfer with water penetration and oxygen exchange and can damage the soil and the plants it surrounds. And landscape fabric does not effectively stop weed growth and just creates more problems than it solves. Just use a good layer of mulch.

There's no need to start a new thread. I suggested it might be a willow on the weigela thread and have added a further answer on pruning over there. It's the same as GG's. And I'd concur with her opinion of landscape fabric. Apart from anything else it looks horrible.