Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata'

I have a plant called Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata'; I acquired it earlier in the year as a 'treat' for myself.


Daphne's are well known to produce pink buds and very fragrant white flowers, with this variety flowering in late Winter and early Spring. This is a particularly nice plant, which has a green leaf with a thin white margin. Daphne, by the way, is the name of a female nymph in Greek mythology, who transformed herself into a planet to avoid the advances of Apollo, hence the slightly elusive nature of the plants, and whether we are successful with them or not. They like dappled shade and shelter from cold wind too.

My one is still in the pot that I bought it in, so I am working out what I should do next.

Since I got it, it has been sheltered from wind and weather in my glasshouse.

I know I have to pot it on, so I did some research and particularly used that mainstay of horticultural reference, the 'Hillier's Manual of Trees & Shrubs'.

This says that the shrub originated from China and Japan, should be given some protection, although it is 'hardy enough to withstand frost of considerable severity'. It also refers to giving Daphne good loamy soil, moisture, and good drainage. Daphne's don't like root disturbance, so I am conscious of this too.

So, next step is to pot it on into a terracotta container, a couple of sizes up on the pot it is already in. I will use some 'John Innes' ericaceous compost, which is soil based with good drainage. With the winds we have here, I will place it back into the greenhouse. It would not make sense to put it outdoors coming into Winter, so maybe I will wait until middle of next Spring before I begin the hardening off process.

I expect the plant to take two or three years to flower, although if someone contradicts me and says it will be sooner, I will be happy to hear that!

Happy gardening!