Trimming a Daphne

stuarta99

I keep reading that you shouldn't cut back Daphne's but I'm just wondering if that's the case. I know my late gran was always taking cuttings from hers and a plant she gave us is growing and smelling gorgeous, but there's a few 'leggy' branches I'd like to from back if possible.

chicky

I have also been told they do not like being cut back, but am going to have to do it anyway.  Keeping my fingers very crossed it survives as it is the star of the show this time of year 🤞🏻

Janie B

Yes, I have a couple that have been getting leggier and leggier over the last few years. So far I've held off, but I think I'm going to have to be brave and cut a couple of the longer branches off. Fingers crossed!

stuarta99

Yeah it's odd, my gran was always cutting bits off for my wife to put in some water.  I'd just like to tidy it up and cut back some of the long branches

Pete.8

I think your plant could do with a dose of sequestered iron @stuarta99
They yellowing on the leaves indicates an imbalance
Usually 1 dose will fix it

I have a Daphne Tangutica that I assumed would die soon after planting, but 5 years on it's rapidly outgrowing its home, it's about 2m wide and 75 cm high.
One of the forum members suggested cutting it back in stages, which I've been doing since last summer, and it has't sulked yet...
Hope yours is OK after a trim

stuarta99

Pete.8 said:

I think your plant could do with a dose of sequestered iron @stuarta99
They yellowing on the leaves indicates an imbalance
Usually 1 dose will fix it

I have a Daphne Tangutica that I assumed would die soon after planting, but 5 years on it's rapidly outgrowing its home, it's about 2m wide and 75 cm high.
One of the forum members suggested cutting it back in stages, which I've been doing since last summer, and it has't sulked yet...
Hope yours is OK after a trim

Sorry a dose of what?  Also any suggestions on how to trim?

Pete.8

Your plant is lacking in some trace elements which means it's a bit weak and under the weather atm.
Sequestered Iron will supply the missing elements and return your plant to good health hopefully.
It's widely available in garden centres or of course there's always -
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/s?k=sequestered+iron&ref=nb_sb_noss and the like..

Just a suggestion, but if it were mine, I'd get it back to good health before doing anything too drastic with it. I've been taking off about 1ft of width, but just from here and there every few months

BobTheGardener

Yours looks like my Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata' and I was also worried about pruning back and decided the safest thing to to was to take out a whole branch.  In the close-up photo below, the older cut was made in autumn 2019 and the newest was made last autumn.  There seems to be no ill effects and a new shoot has started growing from the base of the older cut (only the stem of that is visible in the photo.)

Obviously, I can't promise yours will also be OK, but sometimes things just have to be pruned!

stuarta99

hmm ok thanks, maybe I'll give it a go once it's stopped flowering and given it a feed

stuarta99

Just looking at this again as I never got to feed it. Looks to be even more straggly branches yet and not sure how to tidy it. 

It does look however it on the tips there are possibly some new shoots.


Ps ignore the weeds, all my beds seem to be getting covered in this annoying spreading weed.

BobTheGardener

Agreed, it does look very sad.  Could it have been affected by  the drought?  They are intolerant of drying out.  I'm also wondering if it is short on nutrients and would water deeply, then apply a good thick mulch of well-rotted manure.