Daphne

Gary Bachman: I always look forward to the frequency of daphne as one of the first signs that spring has finally arrived, today on Southern gardening.

Narrator: Southern gardening with Gary Bachman is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Gary Bachman: Daphnes have the reputation of being temperamental in the landscape and it is true that they may be considered short lived but the fragrance clearly makes it worth the effort to have in your garden. Probably the most well-known is the Burkwood Daphne, Daphne x burkwoodii. This plant will grow three to four feet high and wide. The foliage is dark green, providing a good background for the flower buds, tinged with pink, opening to white in dense, two inch diameter clusters. Carol Mackie is a beautiful variegated clone having delicate creamy edges on the leaves.

 Another Daphne that is landscape worthy is the rose Daphne, Daphne cneorum. This plant grows to about 16 inches high by two feet wide. It's covered in dense, bright, rose pink flowers in the spring and will frequently given an encore in late summer. Winter Daphne, Daphne odora is a shade loving, three to four foot tall and wide plant. The flowers are rosy purple and are born in terminal clusters. Opening in January, the flowers can persist up to March. This plant is not as fussy over soil conditions as other Daphne species. These plants like to grow in good loamy, well-drained soil with an eastern exposure. Daphne responds very well to soil kep on the dry side, so water sparingly, a near neutral soil pH is ideal. Site selection is important as Daphne does not respond well to transplanting from one site to another.

Pair the fine textured daphne with Jack Frost Brunnera or some in Substance hosta for an outstanding landscape combination. I'm horticulturist Gary Bachman for Southern Gardening.

Narrator: Southern Gardening with Gary Bachman is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.