The allure of Daphne fragrance is so powerful that it should be a must have shrub for every garden.

Furthermore some of them (usually the most heavily scented) flower in winter so in a new garden they are often one of the first shrubs planted.

There is a mistaken belief that Daphnes only thrive in shady conditions but this is not the case.

Daphnes actually flower more prolifically in full sun but because they are shallow rooted they require constant of moisture and so they are mostly planted in shade because of the coolness and this prevents them drying out.

There are over 50 varieties of Daphne but the varieties on sale in New Zealand are those from experience that are best suited to our conditions.

House & Garden stock those varieties best suited to conditions in the South Island of New Zealand.

Daphnes are a native shrub of China and Japan.

With a minimum of maintenance you can maximise the growth to ensure a healthy green leaf and lots of fantastic fragrant blooms.

Planting:

Daphnes do best in cool, moist, humus enriched, well drained, acid soil in semi sun or light shade.

Work in plenty of compost or similar organic matter – it is impossible to use too much – and feed regularly with liquid fertilisers and an occasional side dressing of acid fertiliser, particularly before winter as this will green up the leaves.

Do not apply regular acid fertiliser to the roots or in the hole you dig as this will burn the roots and the Daphne will not like it at all. Use this type of fertiliser as a top dressing only applying to the soil area covered by the foliage. We would suggest Yates Granular for acid loving plants (azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons and daphnes).

You can use a slow release fertiliser around the roots or in the hole such as Osmocote Plus for acid loving plants (azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons and daphnes).

Our suggestion would be to use the Osmocote when planting and the Yates as a top dressing before winter although you can also use the Osmocote in the same way as a top dressing but you would need to dig it in very lightly without disturbing the roots.
If your soil is heavy add gypsum to break up the soil and of course add a lot of compost material.

Pruning:

Pruning is achieved if you pick sprigs of flowering Daphne. So obviously the shrub will benefit from cutting the blooms when flowering – be careful to leave some blooms on the shrub because the fragrance will provide a very pleasant ambience to your garden.

When the plant is flowering it is very common for the leaves to turn yellow – do not be alarmed as these are the older leaves which will eventually fall and will be replaced by new growth.

If you look after your Daphne you can expect it to give you a lot of satisfaction for up to 10 years before you need to replace it.

If you need further advice on this or any other problem please contact our staff who will be very happy to offer advice.