dreary daphne
rosemary lee
Posts: 16
in Plants
Hello. Can anyone help me with advice on my daphne? From purchase to present day, it has been sickly and produced little or no growth. Any new leaf soon turns black at the edges and falls off. This is not a frost problem, as it happens all the year.
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Which daphne have you got rosemary?
In the sticks near Peterborough
As nut says, we really need to know which one you have rosemary.
In general they need neutral soil and do not do well in clay as they require good drainage. They are also deep rooted and don't tend to do very well in containers. I have two Daphne Odora aureomarginata bought from the same supplier at the same time. One is doing well but the other hasn't really grown (just like yours) so my conclusion is that they are a bit of a finicky plant at the best of times.
I keep being reaaly tempted to get a daphne, I have a nice spot for it, but I do keep reading accounts of them struggling and we have clay soil...
Sorry about delay in replying to all of you but just couldn't get on for days due to some glitch. My daphne is an Odora aureomarginata. I guess Bob may be right about them disliking containers but I didn't plant it out cos half my garden is clay soil and the other acid, and I figured that neither would suit. Also, I wanted to be able to move it where we could appreciate the scent when in flower. Does anyone think that if I improved my clay soil, daphne would buck her ideas up? All suggestions gratefully received.
Thanks Tetley. I think a bonfire would be the cheapest option!
I have various scented plants but was curious about the much lauded daphne. At the end of my garden I have a small sunny flower bed which I intend clearing of it's present occupants in spring. I will follow your suggestions for soil improvement and pop daphne in there. Should she fail to thrive, well, the ensuing bonfire will hardly annoy the neighbours as she is still the same foot or so in height as she was when I bought her.
Thanks Tetley.
I read many articles on plants for attracting bees, but I have never seen so many bees on one plant than on the variegated oregano that has been in my garden for more than 15 years. Does anyone else find the same?
Hello Rosemary. There is an awful lot of nonsense talked about Daphne. I planted Daphne tangutica many years ago in a really heavy clay soil in my garden at Worcester where it grew perfectly well for a couple of years. I then dug it up when I moved to Birmingham and replanted in more clay soil and it is now several feet square! I also planted a Daphne odora aureomarginata in my mother's garden near Bristol in a really horrible clay soil and, somewhat to my surprise, it has never looked back, having flowered the year after planting. Despite expert advice that daphnes shouldn't be pruned, my friend has two Daphne odoras (on very chalky soil) and he prunes them every year back to lower leaf joints and they look great. Sadly, I don't know what is causing your problem, but I suggest trying another plant in another part of your garden and make sure the soil is well cultivated before you plant it.
There's a lot of myth and nonsense in gardening lore Paolon.
When in doubt give it a try is my motto.
In the sticks near Peterborough