With the depth and breadth of this addictive genus, you can have daphne blooms year-round. Plant them in spring or fall. We've arranged these recommendations by season, with the plant placed in the season in which it starts to bloom. But keep in mind that many daphnes bloom in more than one season or through several.
Recommendations come from Troy Youngblood of
. Heights are for mature plants. Semi-evergreen means the plant may defoliate in coldest winters. Consider them fragrant unless noted.
WINTER-BLOOMING
D. bholua
:
One of the tallest daphnes with a very upright form and long, linear leaves. Nice light-tan bark. Covered with light-pink flowers in December and January. Followed by black fruit. Survives in sun, but prefers afternoon shade. Evergreen. 8 feet tall. Zone 7
D. mezereum:
This isn't called the February daphne for nothing. Flowers come out before the foliage, so it looks like a purple-pink cloud. Red fruit follows. Upright habit. Best with some shade. Deciduous. 3 feet tall. Zone 5
D. odora 'Marginata' (syn. 'Aureomarginata'):
The best known of the winter-blooming daphnes. A dense mound of a plant with leaves lightly edged with yellow. Dark-pink buds open to pinkish- white flowers. Afternoon or full shade. Evergreen. 3-5 feet tall. Zone 7
D. odora 'Zuiko Nishiki':
Similar to 'Marginata' but with dark-green, glossy foliage and even more fragrant pink flowers. Also easier to grow and slightly hardier. Afternoon or full shade. Evergreen. 5 feet tall. Zone 7
SPRING-BLOOMING
D.
x burkwoodii 'Carol Mackie'
: Here's the daphne everyone knows and everyone grows. Green leaves are edged with cream; flowers are a pretty light pink. Not deep, but partial shade. Could probably get away with full sun. Semi-evergreen. 3 feet tall. Zone 4
D. genkwa:
Youngblood sings the praises of this plant that no one seems to know about. "When it blooms, you know it's there," he says. Long wands of lilac flowers come out before foliage for a dramatic show. Leaves are silky and linear. Full sun to partial shade. Deciduous. 3 feet tall and wide. Zone 5
D.
x houtteana:
Unusual in that new growth is bright green and mature foliage is burgundy. Sensational combination is reminiscent of some euphorbias. Purple flowers not as fragrant as others in the genus. Limited quantities on the market. Erect habit. Full sun to partial shade. Semi-evergreen. 2-3 feet tall. Zone 6
D.
x mantensiana 'Manten':
A touchy plant that Youngblood says is best for experienced gardeners. Worth the effort, though, for its practically year-round flowering. Orchid-purple flowers are paler within. Dense, compact shrub. Full sun. Evergreen. 2 feet tall. Zone 5
D.
'Lawrence Crocker':
If this plant were a person, he'd be dubbed an overachiever. Glossy leaves set off the abundant lavender flowers that come spring through fall. Tough, too; nothing seems to hurt it. Nice round habit. Plant several together for a real show. Full sun. OK with afternoon shade. Evergreen. 1 foot tall and wide. Zone 6
D. retusa:
Starts blooming in spring and just keeps on going through summer. Really great flowers are purple-red outside, white inside. Flowers followed by red berries, which are slightly toxic (will give a stomachache). Glossy leaves and compact, dwarf habit. 30 inches tall and wide. Full sun to part shade. Evergreen. Zone 7
D. x rollsdorfii 'Wilhelm Schacht':
A very easy-to-grow dwarf that's more upright than 'Lawrence Crocker' and has flowers a deeper pink-purple than lavender. Gets two to three good flushes of flowers spring through fall. Limited on the market. Full sun to part shade. More flowers in sun. Evergreen. 1 foot tall. Zone 6
D.
x thauma 'Reginald Farrer':
Dainty little thing that's slow-growing and good for a rock garden. Gets two to three flushes of bloom from early spring through fall with sporadic flowers in between. Clusters of flowers are purple-throated and pinkish- white. May have to search for this one. Full sun to part shade. Evergreen. 6 inches tall, 10 inches wide. Zone 7
SUMMER-BLOOMING
D.
x burkwoodii 'Briggs Moonlight':
One of the daphnes that's not so easy; Youngblood recommends it for collectors. But for those willing to experiment, this plant will do wonderfully once established in the right spot (morning sun and afternoon shade), he says. Variegated foliage looks like bursts of yellow stars edged in green. That's opposite the variegation from
D.
x
burkwoodii
'Carol Mackie,' which blooms in spring. Put them together for an unusual contrast. Semi-evergreen. 3 feet tall, 4 feet wide. Zone 5
D. jasminea
:
A tiny little thing that's cute as a bug. Small leaves and size make it perfect for a rock garden. Twiggy habit gives it a bonsai look. Star-shaped, white flowers appear at the end of stems, which are clothed in blue-gray foliage. Big fragrance for such a small plant. Blooms all summer and sometimes into winter. May take some searching to find. Full sun to part shade. Flowers more with warmer temperatures, so you may want to mulch with gravel for the heat. Evergreen. 4-12 inches tall, 12 inches wide. Zone 7
D. x napolitana (syn. D. neapolitana):
Here's a daphne that takes little effort. Not as spectacular as some, but it does so well that Youngblood can't imagine why you wouldn't try it. Grows into a green mound, and blooms on and off all summer into fall with highly fragrant, rose-pink flowers. Full sun to part shade. Evergreen. 2 feet tall. Zone 7
D. x transatlantica 'Jim's Pride' and 'Summer Ice':
Many plants sold on the West Coast as
D. caucasica
are more likely 'Jim's Pride,' a hybrid between
D. collina
and
D. caucasica
. No worries. No matter what it is, this plant's a gem. Blooms almost all year-round after a luxurious flush in spring. The white clusters of flowers perfume the garden with the most sensuous fragrance. Has pretty reddish-brown bark. The variegated form, 'Summer Ice,' sports green-and- white foliage and pale-pink flowers, and blooms a little later, starting in summer and going into fall. Youngblood recommends it "a thousand times over 'Carol Mackie.' " Both need full sun to part shade. More flowers in more sun. 'Jim's Pride' is semi-evergreen, 'Summer Ice' evergreen. 4 feet tall. Zone 5
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