Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’
Question:
Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata' A friend bought this for me a few years ago, I have repotted it once and keep it indoors as a previous Daphne (same species) died outdoors planted near the front door (perhaps frost?) This one now seems lack lustre and has not flowered ever in five years. I know I must be doing something wrong and want it to survive. It is in a 15" x 8" pot but the soil has not been changed nor do I do anything but water it weekly. Please advice, as I am from NZ and we had these growing outside near our front doors and the smell was wonderful. By the way we have a lot of rabbits where we live and I am fearful of putting it outside as they damage everything. Also, I run a Cemetery in Hemel Hempstead; it is surrounded by fields and the M1. We have many distressed people who are so upset with the rabbits which enter the cemetery and feed on their plants and floral tributes for the deceased. As you can understand they cost the bereaved a lot of money and they are often in tears in my office and I would dearly love to help them with a solution. We have listed plants that rabbits are not supposed to like (which got from the internet) but we note they eat anything if they have to. The other thing we have noted is they seem to avoid the more aromatic flowers and flowering shrubs but again will eat if they have to i.e. if there is nothing else. Can you give me any advice to help, we do not have warrens on the site itself and the size of the cemetery does not allow for rabbit proof fencing.
Answer:
I'm sorry to hear about your rabbit problem at the cemetery but unfortunately no plant is really rabbit proof but, as you say, they do tend to dislike very aromatic plants. They also dislike plants that ooze sap, prickly plants, plants with spines, or plants with tough leathery leaves. I have found a useful website with a list of such plants http://www.complete-gardens.co.uk. I hope it helps you. In relation to your Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata'. This variety is one of the more hardy Daphnes but can still be affected by frost. Most garden plants dislike being indoors all year so I would put it out between May and October and keep it protected during the winter. They like a well-drained, rich soil but will tolerate a little shade. I would re-pot it into good quality compost mixed with gravel to aid drainage and some well-rotted manure to help the soil structure. Put it in a sunny place for the remainder of the summer, keep it moist but ensure it doesn't get water-logged. For the future, keep pruning to a minimum since the plant is very susceptible to die-back. If necessary after flowering lightly trim back to remove misplaced branches and maintain a compact habit. All parts of the plant including the seed are highly toxic if ingested and contact with the sap may cause skin irritation so in theory the rabbits shouldn't touch it. I hope your Daphne survives as it is a lovely plant.
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My daphne aureomarginata lived fairly happily in Ireland all year round outside, although it never blossomed. Last winter it lost all it’s leaves after the harsh frost but sprouted all out again, looking healthy and happy (still no flowers). Unfortunately it seems to have contracted a disease last week which has branch after branch wilting – it looks as if the branch is broken with all the leaves on it wilting, but there is no visible damage to the bark. i assume it to be something viral or fungal and have resigned to loosing my plant – I have seen other species of daphne doing the same and there seems nothing that can stop this. I read up on it and after that don’t think that cutting off the affected parts will save my plant – seems that i would just hasten things with dieback. May be they are just too fickle for this country.
Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata likes well drained soil so the first thing to check is that it is not too wet where you have planted it; let it dry out before watering. They also need a sheltered position to do well, it needs protection from hot sun, frost and cold winds. The frost earlier in the year may have weakened the plant then if it got too wet or too cold it may not have been able to cope. The other thing to note is that Daphnes don’t regrow from old wood so cutting off parts of the plant will mean that it won’t regrow from those areas and will again weaken the plant.
I’m afraid to say that it is probably too late for this plant but if you buy a replacement just make sure it is planted in a sheltered, well drained spot and it should do fine. To keep it in good condition give it a light pruning after flowering taking care not to cut into old wood. Give it a feed with bone meal in spring and autumn to increase flowering.