No summer water is liable to be a mistake, this is a monsoonal climate woodland species - it won't want any drought, wind, or hot afternoon sun, and will want good deep soil. Since stock I see at plant stores here usually (always?) is labeled simply as the species, without any cultivar name specific attributes are uncertain - is it clonal material of one of the more recent, hardier introductions with other superior characteristics (good quality flowers etc.) being circulated here without the cultivar name, or something else?

yes, just marked straight species. plant tag did not identify who grew it. but i got it from portland nursery, so i could probably find out if i just emailed them.

interesting about summer water. i'll site it closer to the bib then in case it needs it. i hope its not a water hog like the vaguely related edgeworthia.

The few places I have seen it self seed were in fairly deep shade under our native Douglas Firs with no supplemental water, if that's any clue.
Mike

If you are thinking of Daphne laureola by mistake that is from a different area with a different climate - and has actually reached nuisance levels of frequency in this region. Or maybe you are talking about D. mezereum?

D. bholua is a tall, sparse one with slender, down-pointing leaves that may all fall off after sharp weather, and the clusters of flowers scattered around the largely vertical framework. It is not like any of the familiar species and has not been seen that much here, either at outlets or in plantings - it being known to have come up from seed here multiple times would definitely be new to me.

Ron, all I know is what I saw were Daphnes. I'm not familiar with the different varieties and don't plant temperamental plants. I don't have the time or inclination. I'll leave that to the collectors and serious hobbyists.
Perhaps I shouldn't have chimed in with my limited knowledge. I thought they would all have approximately the same growing conditions do do well.
Mike

LOL!! Mike, what you have seen IS most likely Daphne laureola - as Ron stated, this is an extremely weedy species typically planted by birds and is actually on the WA state noxious weed list. Of all the daphnes, this one tops the list as one of the least fussy plants you could imagine! Happiest in some shade, it seems to thrive under our native conifers and is amazingly drought tolerant. It also has rather unattractive greenish-yellow flowers and no fragrance to speak of.

Many folks mistake it as a small rhododendron.

Thank you Gardengal48.
Love the Internet. Learn something all the time.
One place I saw the daphne was near the entrance to the Royal Roads Botanical Garden just west of Victoria, Canada a couple years ago. Plus a few sites here in Maple Valley down by the Cedar River
I've got to get out more. Since I've retired, my wife and I hardly go anywhere.
Mike

Wonderful specimen!

Situation looks familiar, I probably saw the plant before it was this big and full.

Wonderful, is right!
How come these aren't all over the place?
Mike

hope mine looks like that someday.

I agree, this one's wonderful, and they should be everywhere. I've only ever seen a few Daphne Bholua's in 1 gallon containers at Sky Nursery in the winter, when the plants are blooming. I'm always tempted to get one, but it would probably take 10 years or more for that small a plant to get this big. I would say this specimen is about 7+ feet tall and 4-5' wide. It continues to grow a few inches taller and wider each year.

BTW, I made a mistake in my previous post. This is actually on the West side of Harvard, facing East, so it thrives in a spot with morning sun and afternoon shade.

I have seen this recently at both Sky and Molbak's. Expect to be spending over 50 dollars for a specimen of moderate size. In both locations the plants are labeled simply as the species; but I've been told by someone involved in the process that Molbak's had gotten in 'Jacqueline Postill' in the past. Perhaps the supplier lists them under the cultivar name but is using only the species names on tags that go out with the plants to retail outlets. Or all the stock being offered in this area is the one cultivar but the name is not being used much here.

'Jacqueline Postill' is the preeminent cultivar in Britain and the one a body might hope to get here (it and 'Gurkha' are both on the current RHS Award of Garden Merit list).

This splendid and very hardy form originated as a seedling of 'Gurkha' raised by our propagator Alan Postill in 1982. It is evergreen or semi-evergreen, flowering when in full leaf. The flowers are larger and more showy than those of 'Gurkha' with an equally powerful fragrance

--The Hillier Manual of Trees & Shrubs (2002, Hillier Nurseries)

I stumbled upon that plant on Harvard myself, it's a beaut. Everything I've seen in nurseries (West Seattle Nursery and Sky) was of a different form, with thicker shorter and wider leaves that were rounded at the ends. Next time I go by that house, I think I'll just knock and ask where it came from! Jacqueline Postil has a lovely color, hopefully it will show up in the US soon.

BTW does anyone know how I can change my location/zone info by my name? I did it in the old GardenWeb forums but I can't locate that information in my profile now that it's part of Houzz.

sazji, if you go to " Your houzz" then "edit profile" (a box in the colored area at the top), then "contact info", it has a place for location. But you also should check under "edit profile information" and scroll down to see if your zone and country are just included in your Profile Name (the one that shows publicly, NOT your "User Name".

Everything I've seen in nurseries (West Seattle Nursery and Sky) was of a
different form, with thicker shorter and wider leaves that were rounded
at the ends

The remaining stock at Sky has the bigger, thinner and pointed type of leaf on new growths coming out of shoots lined with the smaller, thicker and ~blunt leaves. So I don't think the leaf differences seen were diagnostically significant.

I'll have to go check them now, thanks!