The Wilson Display Garden, located at the Agricultural Center at 1806 South Goldsboro Street, is in bloom, even during the winter months. The plants in the garden will surely stimulate ideas for your home landscape.

This month the plant that caught my attention is Daphne odora, better known as Fragrant or Winter Daphne. As the name applies, the fragrance of this plant makes it a must for the winter landscape.

This plant does not move readily, so make sure to transplant Daphne from a container to it's proper and permanent location. Also make sure to plant Daphne in early fall or early spring to avoid as much transplant shock as possible. Fragrant Daphne is more adaptable to a variety of soils than it's relatives but will grow best in well-drained soil. It needs light to medium shade and benefits being mulched. Daphne is temperamental and trying but worth the all the attention. Dr. Michael Dirr, University of Georgia, states he has grown many species of Daphne and has lost several species of Daphne, apparently from a lack of roots. This plant can be pruned, once established, after blooming and before July. The hardiness zone of this plant is Zone 7-9, Wilson is in Zone 7b.

Clusters of tiny rosy-purple flowers appear any time from February-March. Full flowering ranges from mid-February to mid- March. Since the flowers are delightfully fragrant you will want to plant this near a window, door or patio. As your plant grows you may want to clip off a couple branches and the flowers will perfume the air of an entire room. The flowers last quite a long time and are attractive in groups of about ten florets per flower. The fruits are red but rarely seen.

Fragrant Daphne can create interest with its pretty, perfumed flowers in the winter garden The plant is a densely branched, mounded evergreen shrub, that typically grows to three to four feet in height.

All Daphne's can suffer from leaf spots, blights, cankers, etc. Excess moisture surely will doom this plant. A virus has also been reported. The beauty of this plant though makes it worth a try (or several tries). Nutritional research has shown that a lower pH than 7 may benefit the growth of this plant. A book Daphne: The genus in the wild and cultivation, by Brickwell and Mathew would be useful to any gardener wanting to start a Daphne collection.

Many species and cultivars of Daphne exist. Variegated leaves, white flowers, and red flowers are just a few variations to the common Fragrant Daphne.

Fragrant Daphne is a handsome flowering plant that surely will stop you in your tracks as you hunt for the source of the heavenly scent.

Take a walk through the Wilson Display Garden this month, not only to catch Fragrant Daphne but the white Floweringquince is also in bloom.

Date Created: 12/06/00.