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Daphne's 'wonderful' fragrance

Showy flowers like camellia and daphne add beauty and aroma to the garden. By Tony P. Wrenn

Date published: 3/19/2005

THE DAPHNE are in bloom again. They are not something that Katherine Hepburn could carry drooping from her arms, but surely daphne are as worthy of the drama as are calla lilies.

There is a difference to that drama, though, for daphne are best left outside to grow and bloom, preferably near a frequented path where one will pass near and perhaps brush against the shrub. While aromatic enough when in blossom, even the slightest bit of agitation will release aroma that will bring one to an immediate standstill.

Michael Dirr, in his Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, does not beat around the bush about the aroma of Daphne odora. "The fragrance is wonderful," he says, and I see no reason to argue with him.

As I said, it is in bloom again. My plant came from Maymont in Richmond several years ago, and languished for a couple of years in a border not to its liking. Moved to a spot where it gets only the earliest of morning sun and never dries out completely--it is near the brick and stone foundation of an old building that protects it from drying winds--it stopped sulking and began performing almost immediately

It is not a fast grower, but is a dense shrub that will ultimately reach a height and width of 3 feet or a bit more. An evergreen, it is a presence in the landscape, whatever time of the year one views it.

Mine was labeled Daphne odora 'Carol Mackie' and has lustrous green leaves margined in a yellowish-white. Its flowers, which are a pale purple on the exterior and white on the interior, appear in clusters at the apex of each stem, making a combination of form, leaf and flower that is as "wonderful" as is the fragrance. Dirr does not list 'Carol Mackie' in his manual, but 'Aureomarginata,' 'Rubra,' 'Rubra Variegated' and 'Walberton' all meet the description.

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Date published: 3/19/2005