Daphne

This group consists of about fifty hardy and tender, evergreen and deciduous shrubs from Europe, North Africa, and Asia. Most of these shrubs are small, but some grow quite large and some are prostrate plants suitable for the rock garden. Daphne produce fragrant, tubular-shaped flowers that come in a variety of colors. They are suitable for cutting, though the scent, if placed in a small space, may become overpowering. Take care when children and pets are around as these plants are poisonous if ingested. D. arbuscula is a small, evergreen, alpine plant that forms a round shrub with thin leaves and rosy-pink flowers from late spring to early summer. The blossoms are followed by brownish-yellow fruits. D. burkwoodii var. Carol Mackie is a hardy, small, semi-evergreen shrub having green leaves margined with yellow that eventually turns white. D. cneorum (Rose Daphne, Garland Flower) is a hardy, prostrate, deciduous shrub that bears fragrant clusters of rosy-pink flowers from mid- to late spring. This shrub needs particularly cool, moist conditions with soil rich in leaf mold or peat moss. D. laureola ssp. Philippi is a dwarf, evergreen shrub with leathery, shiny green leaves. In late winter to early spring, yellowish-green flowers are borne in thick clusters. This variety is excellent for a shady spot in the rock garden. It may cause skin irritation. D. Valerie Hillier is a dwarf,

evergreen, spreading shrub. Its fuzzy shoots are clothed with oblong, shiny green leaves up to 2 inches long. Terminal clusters of flowers are produced on the young growths from late spring to autumn. They are purplish-pink in bud, opening to light pink and fading to white with pink-edged lobes. The throat of the flower is pale pink fading to green at the base.

Pot Cultivation

These plants should be grown in a loose, loamy, fertile soil that is moist, but well-drained.

Propagation

Seeds can be sown, as soon as ripe, in containers of equal parts fibrous loam, peat moss and sand. The containers should be buried in ashes in a cold frame in the fall and placed in a warm greenhouse in February when they should sprout within a few weeks. Some kinds can be increased by cuttings, which are inserted in a warm, closed propagating frame, in the spring. Root cuttings and layers may also be used. Some of the rarer kinds can be grafted on stocks of D. Mezereum or D. Laureola, depending on whether they are deciduous or evergreen.