Plant Library

Other Names:  Garland Flower, Rose Daphne

Description:

A cherished garden plant with glossy gold-variegated leaves and intoxicatingly fragrant pink flowers in spring on a mounded shrub; a relatively fussy plant, needing light shade and well-drained soil; never move once established

Ornamental Features

Fragrant Variegated Winter Daphne has fragrant rose tubular flowers with shell pink overtones along the branches in mid spring. It has attractive creamy white-variegated dark green foliage. The glossy narrow leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Fragrant Variegated Winter Daphne is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should never be pruned except to remove any dieback, as it tends not to take pruning well. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Disease

Fragrant Variegated Winter Daphne is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Fragrant Variegated Winter Daphne will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in clay soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets.

Fragrant Variegated Winter Daphne makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It can be used either as 'filler' or as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, depending on the height and form of the other plants used in the container planting. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.