GARDENER'S READING ROOM
The Art of Gardening
Trees and Shrubs

Daphne's Allure ...

Daphnes are intriguing plants with a reputation for being finicky. This may be a little deserved, but once you understand their requirements, Daphnes can brighten almost any garden. Some varieties like nearly full shade, others full sun. Size ranges from almost-groundcover to midsize shrub. All of them, however, share some traits. They tend to be slow-growing. Most are fragrant - some subtly, some powerfully. They hold their leaves at the ends of their branches, often in crowded whorls. They do not like to be pruned back into bare wood. They all demand excellent drainage. (You did catch that word "demand", didn't you?)

The earliest bloomers are Daphne mezereum (February Daphne) and D. bholua, both medium-sized shrubs with fragrant blooms in late January to early March. February Daphne's reddish purple flowers appear before its foliage; semi-evergreen D. bholua has lighter pink blooms.

Daphne odora, the fabled Winter Daphne, is the next to bloom (late February to mid March). The most common form of this evergreen shrub is D. odora 'Marginata', with lilac-pink flowers atop cream-edged dark foliage. Other cultivars have plain foliage with lilac or white flowers. D. odora will (slowly) reach five feet tall and wide.

Rock Daphne (D. cneorum) is the next to bloom. Sometimes known as Garland Daphne, it is often considered the most fragrant. Indeed, when Rock Daphne is in bloom here at Sky it draws people from all over the nursery to its bed! D. cneorum is low growing; it appreciates a light haircut after blooming to keep it dense and compact.

Daphne x burkwoodii 'Carol Mackie'

Rock Daphne's blooms are followed by D. x burkwoodii 'Carol Mackie' and D. genkwa. D. genkwa, like February Daphne, blooms before the leaves appear. Dense, fragrant lilac flowers cloak the stem. 'Carol Mackie' is semi-evergreen, with variegated foliage and white to pink flowers. As it finishes blooming, D. retusa springs to life. This evergreen shrub's flowers are purple-pink with a white throat. At about the same time, D. arbuscola's deep pink blooms almost hide its needlelike foliage. This small, almost groundcover daphne loves the sun.

Daphne transatlantica 'Jim's Pride'

A growing number of daphnes will rebloom throughout the summer - or indeed the year. These include Daphne mantensiana 'Manten' (orchid flowers throughout the year); D. transatlantica 'Jim's Pride' and its variegated cousin 'Summerlee' (both with lightly fragrant white flowers throughout the summer); D x medfordensis 'Lawrence Crocker' and D. x rollsdorfii 'Wilhelm Schacht', and D. x thauma 'Reginald Farrer' (all low growing varieties that consistently rebloom spring through fall).

The Daphne group offers a unique opportunity to inject the drama of fragrance into your garden throughout the year. Come talk with one of the experts here at Sky to see which ones will complement your design needs - and entice visitors to your garden with their alluring scent.

By Charlie Shull
Skylights Spring 2006 Vol. 20, No. 1

Other articles on the art of gardening

Other articles on trees and shrubs