Larry Smith and the Riverside Gardens team talk about all things pots, plants and pruning in their weekly gardening column.
Putting the bins out earlier this week, typically late at night in the dark, I was stopped by the unforgettable sweet fragrance of a Daphne ‘odora’ bush in full flower, and two thoughts sprung to mind. The first was, why did I plant the only Daphne in my garden in such an out-of-the-way place that the plant can come into flower without anyone really getting to enjoy it, and the second was, hey, spring is just around the corner.
Daphne ‘odora’ is the main variety of Daphne that people think of when talking about Daphne, and most times, they think of them as hard to grow, extremely touchy plants that wilt and die every time they have tried to grow them. Their frustration grows even more when they think that Grandma used to grow a beautiful one in a pot and, what’s more, she never seemed to do anything special to look after it.
Daphnes are very easy-to-grow plants that thrive on neglect. They need very little water and maybe only the occasional feed and cutback to keep them in control. Most times, when people have trouble with Daphne, it is because they have been killing them with kindness. They overwater them, causing damage to the root system. The plant then wilts, and the first thought is that the plant needs another drink. It all goes downhill from there.
For successful planting of Daphne ‘odora’ in the garden, find an easterly aspect or semi-shaded position with free-draining soil. Daphne ‘odora’ will require protection from the afternoon sun and good drainage, but apart from that, there are not many pests or diseases that will worry them.
Daphnes make great pot plants as they do not mind being pot-bound or going without water when forgotten about for a while. They can be easily placed in a shaded position, and their drainage can be easily controlled.
In recent years, there have been a few new releases of Daphne that are even easier to grow. The main ones are Daphne’s eternal fragrance, Daphne’s spring pink and Daphne’s perfumed princess.
Daphne’s ‘perfume princess’ is the longest-flowering of the Daphnes, starting mid-winter and going through to late spring. It has the same beautiful fragrance as the straight Daphne ‘odora’ but produces a lot more flowers right along the stems. It can grow in full sun and has a stronger root system, meaning it is less susceptible to wet feet. Growing slightly taller yet still compact in habit, it can be planted as a wonderfully fragrant hedge or grown individually as a neat, bushy shrub.
Daphne ‘eternal fragrance’ is a very compact-leafed, award-winning Daphne that grows to about one metre high. It has an olive-green leaf and a recurring white, sweetly fragrant flower. It grows in either full sun or part shade under a light canopy of foliage, competing well with other plants. It looks great as a hedge or mass planted and works well with the purple foliage of Loropetalum ‘plum gorgeous’.
Daphne’s ‘spring pink’ is the same as ‘eternal fragrance’ but with a pink flower, which still brings with it all the other great characteristics.
All these Daphnes are currently available in the garden centre, but they can be planted all year-round. But remember, don’t make the same mistake as me. Be sure to give it a place of prominence in your garden where its beautiful fragrance can be enjoyed by all and plant more than one, as it is such a versatile, beautiful plant.