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Heavenly-Scent

Everyone's favourite with delicious sweetly scented flowers from winter into spring is Daphne, bring inside and the fragrance will fill a room.

Daphne Odora Leucanthe is the classic pink but tack “Alba” onto the end of its name and you get the pure white version.  It’s worth noting that Daphne Odora is a far more reliable plant today than it has been in the past. Towards the end of last century many cutting grown plants had become infected with virus. Fortunately, tissue culture has come to our rescue and good nurseries are careful to grow Daphnes only from virus free material.

Daphne likes a position that gets the morning sun or any position that would have similar lighting. Get to know the quirks of this plant, it doesn't like somewhere that may be to dry or on the other hand too wet... LOL moist is just right.  Daphne can be container grown but choose a large pot that will not dry out quickly; don’t plant anything else in the pot as this could disturb the delicate daphne roots.  

Most varieties will grow into a rounded bush form 60 -100cm tall, the Himilayan Daphne (Bholua) can grow to 2.5m; and standardised forms are also available.   

Situation - Part shade and morning sun is best for most daphne varieties. All day direct sun can turn leaves yellow. On the other hand, too much shade will limit their flowering

Soil - Plant in cool acidic soil - lime-free, enriched with plenty of organic matter. 

Well-drained soil is critical. Daphne hate wet feet. Try planting on a slight mound is soil is not well drained. They’re more likely to live a long life in relatively dry conditions than in soil that lies wet in winter.

Water - Keep moist, but not wet 

Feeding - Maintain a layer of organic mulch such as leaf mould or fine bark. Top it up each year, but don’t pile it up around the stems.  Feed with slow release Camellia food and of course any organic fertilisers like Sheep pellets or Bioboost.

Cultivation - No particular cultivation methods required.

Pruning -Trimming lightly after flowering, or simply picking the flowers, helps to keep growth compact. Do not prune right back below the foliage.

Additional Info  - Nutrient imbalances caused by high pH and/or poor drainage result in yellow leaves. Daphne prefer a near neutral soil. Iron deficiency usually appears first on new growth as small leaves or yellowing between veins. If your soil is well-drained soil but yellow leaves persist, try a dose of iron chelates to correct a possible iron deficiency.

When a daphne bush suddenly gets sick and dies, the most likely cause is root rot arising from poor drainage.

If your healthy daphne is getting on in years, you might want to get another one growing, just in case. Seven years is considered a good age, although they can live much longer. 

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Wairere Nursery
826 Gordonton Road, R D 1, Hamilton 3281 Ph: (07) 824 3430 Email: