Hi, I have just received a Daphne plant, it's about 14" tall and has some new growth on it. I would like to put it in my garden, but we are still having some nights below freezing here (northern Arkansas). Should I keep the plant inside till the weather warms up, or would it be safe to plant it outside now? And if the winters here are too cold (we have a few feet of snow a year, and sometimes nights in the teens during the winter) should I just keep it as an indoor plant? Thank you for any assistance!
Hi DeeAnn, Do you know what type of daphne it is? Different species have varying hardiness. Daphne odora, one of the more commonly found species, is hardy in USDA zones 6-9. Some are deciduous and vary hardy. Sounds like yours is evergreen. This is actually bloom time for Daphne odora. Mine is filling the garden with its sweet fragrance. It is one of my favourites. Whatever type it is I don't think you should plant it in the garden until it warms up. Something that has just put out fresh growth will not be happy in freezing temperatures. When you do plant it make sure it is a well drained site.
Daphne, etc. It is Daphne Odora. I have it in the kitchen right now, by a southern exposure window. Do you think it will be ok there for a week or three till the outdoors warms up a bit? I didn't know if it would be better to keep it outside in the day time and indoors at night. Maybe I'm being overly cautious, but I've heard some types of Daphne just up and die sometimes. I've never had one before, so I'm about as ignorant as one can get about this plant. I really want this one to make it -- my grandmother had a good sized Daphne plant in her garden that lived for years. It's the memory of her and the wonderful scent of those flowers that made decide to buy this one. Thanks for your help!
Yes Daphne is known to just die for no apparent reason, but I have grown it in Seattle, Atlanta and now Vancouver with no problem. The main concern seems to be to plant it in a well drained soil. Add some sand to your planting area if needed. This does not mean it wants to be kept dry; it just does not tolerate soggy soil. The plant should be fine in a cool spot in your house for a while. Apparently they do not transplant well so pick a permanent site (I transplanted the three I had in Atlanta and they were growing well when we sold the house 5 years later). Don't worry it will grow (if it doesn't just buy a new one). This is a plant that is worth any problems growing it. The fragrance is exquisite.
I clipped some blossoms off my Daphne to keep at my desk today, so I could enjoy the fragrance. I have attached a scan of it.
Hello, I have no experience whatsoever with gardening so forgive my question if it is entirely basic. Recently my grandmother passed away and her house was sold. In the front garden was a wonderful Daphne Adora which she loved very much and I would like to have part of the plant as a memory of her. I am fairly certain the new owners of the property will let me have a small portion of the plant. I am wondering what method might be possible for me to take part of it and grow it in Arlington Virginia. I have heard about taking pieces of the plant and soaking them in water till it grows roots but I don't know enough about the process and what to expect. Any information would be much appreciated especially regarding how large a piece is necessary, what I need to do to get the cut piece to grow roots, what nurturing steps need to be taken to get this right. Thank you in advance, Andrew
I did an internet search for "propagation daphne" and came up with these links and several others - the first gives good instructions. You can obviously do a similar search and see what else you get if these do not suffice. http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8702.html http://www.stratsplace.com/gardendiary/daphne_winter.html http://www.mamassecrets.com/articles/home_garden/daphnes.htm I would ask the new home owners for permission to take several pieces so you are not hanging your hopes on a single cutting, and ask right away whether you can come back for more cuttings if the first batch does not take (assuming they do not plan to remove the shrub). If you decide to use rooting hormone, you can get it at a nursery, and you should buy that (and have your soil ready, whether in pot or in ground) before you go take cuttings.
Anyone ever had Daphne caucasica? It is a superb Daphne...flowering from spring until frost. I think it is by far the best one as far as not suddenly dropping dead like they seem to do. Having said that....I have lost three of them! I think they were in the wrong place however and will try them again.
Do you have a protected space that is unheated with a window, like a garage or pump tank building where it can acclimate more to the outdoors than the indoors?
That's good advice. Daphne odora enjoys partial shade, so I'd get it out of the sunny south window to a more shady and cool spot. Ray
Mine grows in a sheltered fairly shady well drained gravelly soil from driveway fill. I grew accidental cutting some 20+ years ago by taking tips with some old wood sticking them in hormone powder and planting in a pot of well draining pot mix. From memory I added extra river sand. I then made a hot house cover with sticks and a plastic bag and once I had just a fine vapour on bag left them too it for several months. I am in a cool temperate area with non or very few frosts, no snow. I was able to leave my pot out, but in many cases by the sound of winters, you will need to have them in an area like the one described above. We always had ours growing under sheltering trees like birches at home but the soil was a bit more clay (volcanic soil) and acid but they still did well. We do have very hot summers here and as long as they are mulched they do very well. Liz
