Daphne’s no fuss care guide
A beautiful fragrance can lift the spirits, and during Winter we’ll take any lifting we can get!
In the nursery, Daphne sells like hotcakes, but some people think it’s too fussy and don’t dare to give it a go. Well it can be fussy if you put it in the wrong spot, but planted in the right conditions it can thrive!
Image source: The Spruce / K. Dave
There’s a few things to note about growing Daphne:
It doesn’t like its roots disturbed. Tickling the roots when planting, or digging around the root ball will not go down well, so avoid doing this.
Daphne doesn’t like to be over or under-watered. Some may say that this is Daphne being fussy, but really it just likes a well draining soil. Wait for it to dry out a bit before watering to reduce the risk of root rot.
While Daphne is enjoying it’s free-draining soil, it also likes it to be rich in nutrients (and on the acidic side), so make sure you give it a feed with some Harry’s Daphne Food during the growing season.
Daphne likes the sun - but not too hot - thank you very much! Try planting it in a spot where it can bask in the morning sun and stay protected from afternoon sun. Or dappled sun during the day. Daphne often co-exists quite nicely with Camellias which like similar conditions.
Protect Daphne’s roots with mulch - they don’t like to have cold feet! This will help keep the temperature around the roots more stable and moist during dry, hot days but will also prevent weeds growing around the base. Hand pulling weeds around a Daphne can cause some root disturbance which – as mentioned earlier – Daphne isn’t fond of.
OK, so all things considered, perhaps there is some truth to the rumours of Daphne’s temperamental personality! But there are some varieties that have been developed recently that have greater hardiness and sun tolerance like ‘Eternal Fragrance’, and ‘Perfume Princess’ so it is possible to have a Daphne without the high level of maintenance.
And despite the fussiness , we still think that the additional care required is a reasonable price to pay for the delicious fragrance you will get through your garden during Melbourne’s colder months.
