NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Don't die Daphne! NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

I'd take cuttings, for sure. I'm not sure of the success rate of cuttings with Daphne, but it couldn't hurt.

Sniff! Sniff! Poor Daphne.

For links to a couple descriptions to compare with what you are seeing there...

Here is a link that might be useful: Index, An Online Guide to Plant Disease Control, Oregon State University

I have a Summer Ice planted in the ground from a $10 Collector's Nursery pot. It is now about 2 ft. tall and blooms almost continuously. I tried starting it from cuttings last winter and actually had one take.:-) It is on a gradual slope in heavy clay with cedar tree roots in competition. I lost Daphne Briggs Moonlight and D. bholua last winter, and D. cneorum a few years ago. They were on more of a slope. It's puzzling. Perhaps it's getting too much water?

Daphnes require excellent drainage if nothing else, so ones planted on slopes should fare quite well, all other conditions being equal. It IS indeed puzzling why some daphnes thrive and others turn up their toes - at a client visit yesterday, there was a daphne 'Briggs Moonlight', a notoriously tough one to sustain, growing on the west side of the house in full sun and with rather extensive drainage problems. Not only growing but thriving - a big, robust, well-leafed 2'x2' plant. I was amazed.

True, Daphne require good drainage but they also require adequate moisture to survive. The term "good drainage" doesn't mean dry conditions and these terms can be easily confused. If not given adequate water, well-drained soil can quickly create dry soil. Daphne can't tolerate dry conditions and they can die from lack of moisture in a short amount of time. Perhaps the Daphne 'Briggs Moonlight' mentioned in previous post is thriving because the "extensive drainage problems" were helping it get the required amount of moisture to survive.

For the Daphne 'Summer Ice' mentioned above I would suggest getting it out of the greenhouse and planting in the ground in average or better soil and giving it ample amounts of water on a regular basis until established and then normal watering after. If you are going to keep it in the greenhouse, watch out for old flowers staying on the plant and rotting which can lead to disease in stems and then dieback of that stem which sounds like the symptoms you might be having. Greenhouse conditions usually encourage heavy flowering in a high humidity environment, which is not an ideal situation for Daphne. Good luck with your Daphne and we are all hoping it makes it.

The Daphne t. 'Summer Ice' is a fairly easy variety to grow and will survive nicely in decent soil with normal care and watering in the landscape. I have three of the 'Summer Ice' in my front yard that have grown very well for years. They produce flowers almost all year for me here in Oregon and are a wonderful addition to the yard. The scent on a warm evening is amazing! I also have 'Lawrence Crocker', genkwa, 'Wilhelm Schacht', odora 'Marginata', X houtteana, jasminea, 'Brigg's Moonlight', 'Napolitana', and Edgewortia c. growing well in my landscape with no special care or soil. I'm also going to be planting other daphnes soon.

I hope it makes it. Crossing my fingers for you. I would also suggest planting it outside. Put a Gardenia in the greenhouse instead :)

I have not found 'Summer Ice' at any garden centers around here. Any suggestions?

I have a variegated odorata doing very well and a cneorum.

My DH usually is very bothered by fragrances of all kinds but he likes Daphnes so I want to plant more.

I saw some one gallon 'Carol Mackie' at Shorty's Garden Center in Vancouver WA recently and I'm kicking myself for not buying one. You don't see them small and cheap often.

Last year I was told a widespread virus infests daphnes generally.

Regarding drainage a sloped, heavy soil will have surface runoff when water falls on it too fast for it to soak it up, but the internal drainage of the soil will be the same as if it was on the level. A heavy clay may still be damp and poorly aerated inside whether the top is flat or sloped.

Hi! I am new to this site and in need of help. I have 2 daphne odora. One is thriving, the other a few feet away (if that) is dying. The leaves are wilting and turning yellow. This morning I noticed some of the leaves have black spots on them. This is the third plant, second daphne, I have tried in this exact spot. Perhaps it is true that some plants just don't like certain spots. Ughhh! I have tried very hard to take good care of this one in hopes of it surviving. I have several pics, but am not sure how to create a link for them. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

My happy D. odora has very sharp drainage (2' drop with railroad ties) on the north side of my house, I can't say I water it more than a couple of times a summer. Your site may be too wet. I killed a couple of Daphne myself despite my best efforts. It's nice that you have one that is thriving.

My D. odora is in a similar position: sharp drainage under some fir trees, also competing with a Kiftsgate rose! I do water it and this year it was loaded with the most delicious smelling flowers. I have killed others too.
Have taken cuttings and they root easily.

I planted sixteen daphne's just before last winter, then it rained for four months solid, then we skipped spring and summer with hideously high temperatures started, there were a few flowers in our short spring on a couple of daphnes, it's now autumn officially and I have just lost one daphne with drooping leaves and now a second is on the way out, I watered them every night through a shockingly hot summer, the garden bed has lots of fertilisers, is not mulched yet , the ground Is quite damp I noticed, there is no shade either, full sun until autumn kicks in .,, when I see a leaf wilt I feel sick knowing what's about to happen but I don't know why .. any help would be appreciated.

I have found that daphne tangutica is a vigorous plant. Blooms several times a year and has a delicious fragrance. Evergreen here in the NW with healthy dark green foilage. Bonus is bright orange berries in the fall. Really a super plant that may work for you.

Daphne require absolutely stunningly good drainage - no way around it!! If the soil remains wet or excessively water retentive for too long, it is a recipe for daphne failure.

wow old thread. Now I have 2 'summer ice' that I constantly hack back because they grow vigorously, ditto D. odora. Found a 'Carol Mackie' and a 'Lawrence Crocker' too but have killed a variegated cneorum.