Moving a Daphne?

I planted 2 Daphne near my front door 10 min after we took possesion of our house 16 years ago. I gave the placing of these plants no thought but I wanted fragrance at front door. The locations are way too small for these bushes and one just died so I am going to try to move the survivor over 3 feet. I don't expect success but am giving it the ol' gardeners try. I could curl up and live in these fragrant plants this time of year. I wish I could market the fragrance.

Daphnes die for no reason at all it seems...lucky you have had one for 16 years. i would move now and pray..put in some kelp meal and chesapeake blue.

Your story about a Daphne by the door reminded me of a clandestine digging I did three years ago!

We had just sold our house in Olympia to a very nice couple with not one clue about gardening (the wife actually admired the masses of buttercup growing along the neighbor's sidewalk!) Needless to say, I was saddened about leaving my 12 year old garden of perennials, old tree peonies, and rock I had personally hauled from the Cascade foothills to these very nice non-gardening people. My favorite part of the garden was a wreath I had trained from a mock orange standard. It was growing against a fence and had a gargoyle face in the middle. It took a lot of constant pruning, but it was worth it.

Anyway, one night, prior to moving out, I thought long and hard about leaving my plants. Some would be fine in the presence of indifference and neglect, others would probably die or overgrow without special attention, and a few (I reasoned) would benefit from the chance to thrive in a brand new location - my new yard! Taking shovel in hand, under the cover of darkness, I crept stealthily toward the Daphne Odora Marginata. Turning off the front porch light so as to not alert the neighbors (who might betray me after I moved) I sunk the shovel blade in a deep two foot circle around this five foot beauty. The Hebe would fill in the gap, I rationed, and this bed was too crowded anyway. I heaved and rolled the massive rootball onto a large tarp and dragged the entire mass to the back of our van, coaxing my husband to help lift it in. To the neighbors, it might have looked like a body. For a fleeting moment I felt guilty, because it was April, and Daphne had just finished flowering...not the best time for moving. Was I going to kill this shrub afterall?

I went inside and called one of my best gardening friends. She met me in the dark at the new house with a shovel of her own. I didn't have to explain - she understood. Gardeners are like that. There in the beams of our headlights, we dug a hole in the front of the house and put Daphne in her new place of honor near the door. I am very happy to report that my rescued shrub is no worse for the wear, three Aprils later!

P.S. Later that week, I also dug a dark red rhody, several bearded iris, a french hybrid lilac, hardy cyclamen, tiarella, gunnera and a few hellebores, all in the dark! I was too afraid to dig the tree peonies since they were budded, so I left them (sob). The new owners never noticed the mulch covered holes!

Cute story, galega. I think I would have dug a nice root ball with the tree peonies and took the also. LOL

I know. I regret it now, and I covet those dang tree peonies whenever I drive by! The ones I bought to replace them will take years to get big...Sigh...I guess I can wait. :-(

I might be tempted to do the same thing. Glad it worked and you continue to enjoy its beauty.

Deb

Great story galega.