Daphne cuttings

Just so you know - I am a very big proponent of propagation. I like to see the little bits grow, To keep or give away.

I was amazed at the vigor of my daphne cuttings. I bought three very small daphnes last fall and they now have about 4 flowers each! I could not resist cutting one to bring in for a little vase on my kitchen window sill. After the flowers had fallen off, I stuck it in a tiny pot under my shop lights. It did so well, I had to do another one. And I expect since the 'mothers' are putting out nice green growth where I took the cuttings, I will do several more.

WOW - look at this! This is about two weeks growth.

You are kidding!! That looks great! Maybe I'll do a cutting this weekend. I'd love to have more, but they are so fussy. Maybe since these "mom" plants seem to like my yard the babies will, too. Thanks for posting!

do you keep them in pots or plant in the ground. the mom plants?? i just bought two and have been told varing things like put in big pots put in ground dont put in ground. any advice welcome.

Here is an article from Walter Reeves concerning Daphnes. He had better luck with his than I did with mine. It took me 12 Daphnes to get the existing 5.

http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/homeandgarden/reeves/0320.html

I got started on daphne,from cuttings my brother-inlaw gave me 15yrs. ago.The best results,are morning sun afternoon shade good dranage.Mike BTW,I have had high percentage sucess with daphne cuttings,as well as gardenia.I use a cold frame scratch the stems rooting harmone,mist little and often .The magnolia cuttings don't do as well with same harmone(rootone),I will try something else this year,any sugestions? Mike

This message was edited Mar 13, 2006 11:57 PM

I've heard lots about them... but I just don't think i've ever seen or smelled them in a garden?? where are they available??

Susan

Susan, you can get them at Pike's, but be very careful. Pike's sells daphnes on their dying beds. If the leaves aren't very shiny and green, don't buy them. Once the leaves lose their shine they are at death's door.

ahhhhhh Thanks!

Susan

Hi Susan - keep a watch for Edgeworthia, Oriental Paper Bush http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/02246.html

My friend with the woodland garden has one and after I smelled it, I had to get one too. Like fine perfume. I've only seen them at Hasting's and Ashe-Simpson's here in Atlanta and I had to pay $40 for a small one. Absolutely the best fragrance of any bloom I have encountered.

Sterling

Nice Sterling.. I see it's sold out.. how much to they sell for?? Maybe I need one too!! :)

Wow $40 for a small one? Gee, I would have to be able to make many more from one plant if I paid that for it! :) It smell that good Huh? hmmmmmm maybe a daphne in my future!

Susan

can a daphne be planted in a large container for a patio/deck. Since it needs a lot of TLC, maybe container planting would be the way to go for a first-timer??

I wonder how hard it is to propagate Edgeworthia from a cutting. You know, "Admire and Acquire." lol

No cutting!!!!

My edgeworthia is little - has three (only 3) branches. It comes up on a single "trunk" and evenly branches into three. At the tip of each branch I had about 3 or 4 hanging flowers. These three branches will (hopefully) branch into three more. My friend's has more branches but she paid $85 for hers.

As big as I am on propagation, I could not bear to cut any one of these stems. My Granddad used to say that you only need one of anything to have as much as you want, but this is in a different category. You really would have to cut up the whole plant. Or be able to live with a lopsided plant.

Oh, Sterling, I wasn't talking about a baby. My neighber has one that is five feet across. That one could be trimmed and no one would notice.

Whew!!!

OK Carmen - I've got it! We sneak across late one night when the moon is dark and each cut a branch that wouldn't be noticed!! Cut that into a dozen pieces...

Seriously - I have the feeling these would root really well. If you get extra cuttings, let me share!!!!!?????

There is a lady I met who has a wonderful stand of Jerusalem Sage. I had never seen this flower before and was really hoping to be offered a cutting. I oohed and aahed. No such luck. She was NOT going to share. A quality not found in most gardeners. These pix don't do it justice - http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/519/index.html but fortunately a friend was with me when I was exclaiming over them and took me to HER friend's house where I did get one long branch of a huge plant. Looks like I'll have lots of babies to share.

I hope you neighbor is the sharing kind. I was surprised when the 'sage lady' never made the offer. Most gardeners I have known are very generous.

Hey, that plant grows just a few blocks over. Does that sage bloom all summer? It sure is a different kind of flower, isn't it?

Do either of you know weather the edgeworthia produces seed,and are they parent true.and back to daphne,there is no problem with that as long as the soil is well balanced,and has good dranage,with morning sun ,evening shade.Mike
sterhill,I'm having faith in fern growing,thanks

Jerusalem Sage - I don't know how long it blooms but I have the feeling it might go all summer. I've never seen anything quite like it and I've not seen a picture that does it justice.

Hi Mike - Dunno about the edgeworthia seeds. I did not see any seeds or seed pods after the blooms... I have moved my Daphnes around several times and now they are in a spot they like and are really growing. Morning sun and afternoon shade...

Nice Sage :) Yes, lots of gardeners are very generous with plants they have in abundance. My garden is proof.

Susan

Hi Susan - I love walking around my garden and thinking: there is Cindy's pomegranate (and it will ALWAYS be Cindy's pomegranate) and there is Maxine's sedum. I was at a friend's recently and she said: look how well your husker's red (penstemon) is growing here!

I like the quote: The man who has no iris, no hosta and no daylilly has no friends. It is a pleasant part of gardening - the sharing. I guess that what why I was surprised by the 'sage lady'! But sometimes people need to feel they have something unusual and they want to hold it close.

But - hopefully - I will have a lot of little Jerusalem Sage for the next roundup and maybe - maybe! - Carmen will have lots of little edgeworthia!

It's not just the plants that have been shared with me that are a part of my garden, but the knowledge shared about every aspect of gardening that has made me a better gardener and that is something I truely appreciate as well!

Susan

Speaking of Daphne, have any of you ever been to Massee Lane Gardens in Ft. Valley? It is famous for the camellias, however, among them are the most huge Daphnes I've ever seen!! Some are approx. 4 ft. across. If you ever go, maybe a tip of two might "accidentally" fall off.......................

Ha! I haven't been there, but I have thought about going and getting some "accidental" camelia cuttings to root.. I LOVE camelias. Now that I know better, I'll have to be on the lookout for falling daphnes too!

There is a local home for sale that has the most amazing camelia I've ever seen. The home is a prime candidate for becoming a tear down which is what is happening to all the older homes around here :( Anyway, I'll have to get some cuttings before anything should happen to this lovely camelia.

Susan

I hate to see these old places torn down and 6 or 8 homes built on the same spot! :(

If you see the sold sign up, try to get the builder's name and we'll all go dig. I read on a newgroup where an very old place was sold in Texas. It had roses that were 100 years old and many fine and beautiful plants. This person said the bulldozers were up at 7:00 am and just tore through all the gardens. No chance to rescue anything.

Must be doing something wrong... For some reason, despite our great success with our pride-and-joy 15 year old daphne (see pix) and two smaller, younger variegated plants, I have not had much success with rooting cuttings. And it's not because I haven't tried (I have) or that I've never propogated plants from cuttings before (I'm usually pretty successful). So, how do y'all do so well? Do you use the woody portion or just the top cluster of leaves? Do you use water, perlite, potting soil? When do you do this - spring? fall?
thanks so much for advice!
jo

I can't wait to hear a positive answer. I just noticed that one of my 5 year old daphnes is dying. The leaves have lost their shine and are drooping. I would love to take cuttings from the 4 remaining plants to get more.

Jo, your daphne is just gorgeous! The only ones I have seen that come anywhere close to yours are the ones in Penny McHenry's garden. Penny was the Hydrangea Queen before passing away this year.

Carmen

Thats amazing.. I have never grown daphne, but now I'm very tempted.

Susan

Hi all. Been away from this forum for a while, but now that our daphne is starting to really fill out with buds, I thought it time to check back in. Pins, I greatly appreciate the compliment. Wow - I knew it was an incredible plant but didn't realize just how lucky I am to have it in my front yard. Since posting, btw, I have finally managed to get one (and possibly a few more) cuttings to root. I think I just got impatient - seems to take them a lot longer than some other plants. Soulgardenlove, you really should try this plant. The aroma is just unlike anything you've ever experienced, even from tiny plants. With one as large as ours, you can smell it from hundreds of feet away! If I can get some more rooted, I can share with you - I work in Marietta and live in Dallas.
jo

Your sweet Jo :) I really do need to check it out!! :)

Susan

I'd love to share if possible, Susan. (and one of my very BEST friends is named "Susan"). Stay in touch.
jo

Thank you Jo :)

Are you coming to the GA roundup?? Have you seen the thread under the GA topic?

Love this thread! It has heart, and you can feel the sincerity in the "love of the garden", and people who don't love their plants won't share, and I think its a cost thingy, don't want to know.GeorgiaJo, when you see the daphne's wilting,get fungicide fast, I just lost ALL of mine, and they were from between 12_ 15 Yrs. old, and you are correct, you can smell them that far.I'm still sick. This has been the year that the fellow in Li'Abner, with the cloud, came to my door.First,I has been since Feb,06, that I've been trying to work, and be treated for a bad knee injury, on the job, and faithful me, didn't keep of of it, and Sept. had to have it redone, this time really kept off it, then in Dec., I had a stroke. I just watched my daphnes die, and found that the probable cause for the fungus, was an old oak tree, witch I had to remove, caused the fungus, by rotting, and it got into the roots of the daphne.Best we can tell. Mike

oohhh Mike.. wishing you better luck this upcoming year.

Susan

Poor Mike! You have had a really hard year!

I lost one of mine this year too - was doing fine and then started looking dry and then the leaves fell off. I pulled it up and it had some white fungus looking material on the roots. This was just a little one about 18" tall - not really big ones like yours... I washed the roots well and potted it up and it still died. I don't know how you can know. Someone said when the leaves lose their shine, but I think it is too late then.

I have some cuttings that seem to be doing well under lights but I gave away all my cuttings from last year. If you need some, let me know and I'll put your name on them for the RU. These bloom white and have a variegated edge.
Sterling

whoa - I had heard that these can suddenly up and die --- and break your heart in the process. Thanks for the warning! And so sorry, Mike; I do feel your pain. You sure have had a rotten year.
jo

Thanks, sterling, and yes, I need to begin again, so if you could let me have (2), at the round-up, I would be very greatful.The roots on mine, looked just like yours,and I used h2o2 on mine, and they never revived.I am going to look into using a fungicide on what I grow now, in hopes of a prevention, from where I stand, I don't think it would hurt.Thank all of you for your suport,and I am doing fine3 now, with the new medicin, (plavix), and the only symptons is forgeting what my train of thaught was, in the middle of a sentenance, but at my age, seems natural.Love you all. Mike

Hey Mike...I'd never be so rude face to face...but I'm wondering what "age" that is...I'm a '53 baby and am wondering too if it's the meds or just the birthdate to blame!
May God bless (and like Job may he return to you all loss with much more besides),
Deb

PS To all: if Daphne cuttings show up for trade PLMK. I've never gotten to "sniff" one though I've heard it is quite delectable.

Well Deb, I don't know about the meds, caus every Dr. must be on the take with the pharmisyodical (sp) companies, because I get new pills every time I visit one.However I'm not worn out for a `42 modle, with over 1,000,000 miles on it. Have a wonderful day. Mike

I've just found this and I'm drooling at the meer thought of a Daphne ... so if anyone has one they'd be willing to share, I'd be forever indebted and grateful. I don't have much in the way of a trade. I'd be glad to pay whatever you might want for it, though, as I can't seem to find one in my area. I think I'm pushing the zone for them, but I've heard of their wonderful fragrance and posted for one last year but could never find one. Thanks for your consideration. I especially love fragrant plants. :-)
~Elaine~

Elaine,

Pike's in Towne Lake had a whole slew of them for only 11.99 - varigated and greenleaf. After months of longing for one, perusing catalogs and watching this forum, DH bought me one! It has an absolutely delicious fragrance. I'm just scared I'm gonna kill it...lol! They said the death of Daphne's is overwatering - they only need water once a month. So, I'm putting mine in a containe for better control, and I'm going to rely heavily on the people here for advice. I will try a cutting once I see how the plant is going to do.

If you can't find them down where you are, I could get one for you at our Pike's and ship it if it came to that - but check your Pike's first.

~Sunny