Ohhhh... : ( Yet ANOTHER one I can't grow here? (I love hostas and I can't get over the fact I can't grow them!).
Does anybody know of any Daphne that would do OK in hot weather?
Daphne's & more...
Says the one who has the 10' Mama Brug...sheesh
Daphne hardiness: odora is hardy to z6 or above, x burkwoodii and cneorumare hardy to z5 or above, some species are hardy to z4. Check the hardiness before you buy!:)
-Joe
Hi Joe, do you have any info on how they handle heat? That's more of an issue for me than cold.....
imapigeon - I did a search in the plant files for Roberta...there were plenty that you'd be able to pick from that said they could handle up to zone 9b - just open up the particular one you're interested in and check its hardiness http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/b/Thymelaeaceae/Daphne/none/cultivar/0/
Thanks, Chantelle---since all the hardiness information refers to the coldest temps a plant can handle, I always worry about the heat. I know there's that new zone information that some of my mags have on plants, but I find it really confusing. Sunset is my best source, but they don't always show all the different varieties.
Sorry, I realized after sending the term "hardiness" wasn't really what I meant...but if you refer to DG plantfiles on each under "hardiness" it does show what the highest zone the plant will tolerate as well...hope that helps a little.
Actually Chantell I think you're right. I believe hardiness is the range of conditions within which the plant can grow. :)
Pigeon, Plant Delights is a southern nursery that tests plants for heat tolerance too. You may not want to buy from them, but sometimes you can get a lot of information from Tony Avent's descriptions. :)
-Joe
Outstanding---I'll check them out! In the meantime, my wee aurea marginata is looking good. She's getting wet today, but she's in a pot with good drainage. Can't wait for her buds to open up and have all that heavenly fragrance right next to the front door!
Ooo Pigeon I like how you finish the tops of your pots with smooth rocks. :)
-Joe
Thanks! GRIN! It started in self-defense to keep my four ($*(@)!_+) precious cats out of my containers. And it works for that!
What I've learned in the 4-5 years I've been doing it is that rocks about 2" in diameter are easy to pick out for transplanting, don't disappear into the soil (unlike the gravel I started with), and make weeding easy (my liquidambar trees overhead put out a lot of seeds). I also think they help keep the containers a little cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. And they look clean, too!
Ahhh Joe beat me to it...was just gonna say NICE top dressing there!! Where do you find those? Our Walmarts getting them in but in small amounts. I need BULK...LOL. Years ago I ordered from an ebay seller small river rock...it was gorgeous...but even with flat rate box...it gets expensive.
Oh, how great! New way of controlling acorns, oak seedlings and squirrells to boot!!
The ones in the container on the left came from our closest rockery. They have BULK, let me tell you! You can get anything from a bag-full (they supply the you fill bags at a flat rate) to a truckload delivered to your driveway (usually at 7:00 a.m. on a Saturday for maximum neighbor-annoyance...LOL!)
The ones in the daphne came bagged from our Orchard Supply Hardware, which is a local chain. They're called Mexican beach pebbles. The rockeries around here usually have them in that lovely bluish-greenish-grey or a nice dark terra-cotta red. They are expensive, in part because of shipping. I often use a less-expensive layer of rock for the first inch, and then top-dress that with an inch of these.
I've found our local rockery to be really pleasant folks, and they even accommodated my obsessive need for a particular color of gravel for my paths by picking up a load from the source, and splitting the truckload with me. It saved me a lot of money over the only other retail source I could get, which was about 75 miles away! They also have the most wonderful "ground bark" mulch in bulk.
Another advantage I've found to this method (viola, you may relate to this) is that the stickery balls and leaves that fall from my liquidambar trees don't get to the soil surface, and I can easily get them up by hand or with the shop-vac.
Moving to CA now...LOL
LOL! I'll introduce you to my rockery folks when you arrive!~
Imapiegeon,
I checked my Sunset Western book and....GOOD NEWS! There IS a Daphne we can grow over here: DAPHNE ODORA. Look for that species, I will too~! Chantell, you were right, we can grow them, yeeey!
Ahhh I'm so happy for you...I know what it feels like to be plant deprived b/c of one's zone....the agony of it all!!!
Finally - took a pic of the one of the Rock Daphne - sm size from Garden Grower
Ok...2 of the 3 are doing great...went to yank up the dead one (NEVER do this w/o fully inspecting plant btw) and what do I see at the bottom? A bitty green leaf...ugh...know they hate being moved...put him back in his spot...fingers crossed. His sibling has buds already...sweet thing
I'm so jealous, I haven't even gotten my plants yet from Garden Grower, and I ordered first, I was the one who told you about them. That's what I get for living up here in the north. But I do think I'll check on the status, my last frost date is today or tomorrow.
Oh Cindy, I'm so sorry!!! I do appreciate you're having shared that info with me - if that helps at all. Long as you know they're coming though...right? Just think how much they're growing for you!!
Rob: Check the heat zones for the daphnes as this will tell you how they will fare in your heat zone.
I found this winter to be particularly hard on the Daphnes. I lost two of the Cneorums. One that had been in the ground for 2 years was completely pushed out of the ground with one of the main roots exposed about 6 " above the ground, suspended in mid air. Another one is completely laying over and brown. Here's one that made it and is full of buds.
The "Bowles White" has some winter burn on the leaves and lost some top buds, but it's pretty much OK. This is it's 4th year.
The poor Odora Aureo-marginatas that I put in last fall had severe winter burn. That 10 day frozen snow and the cold winds caused them to lose a lot of leaves and buds. The leaves are all growing back now.
Ahhh scent heaven...those look delightful - Stormy!!!!!!!!
My bitty rock daphne blooms opened...what a pretty scent!!
Chantell, This one is perfuming the entire walkway.
This is one of the variety "Ruby Glow". Notice the deep rose color these blooms are turning.
stormy - Gorgeous - I can smell them in my mind. Mine showed up about 2 weeks ago from Garden Grower. There was one bloom on the little plants, so I got my fix of daphne fragrance. I can't wait until mine are as big as yours, after 6 years without daphne I'm definitely going through withdrawal.
I didn't realize that you can grow daphne in zone 6. Time to add another plant to my wishlist. I will have to pay more attention to the plants at Home Depot.
Cindyeo, Good luck with her. They are such rewarding carefree plants, always evergreen and reliable. No deadheading required. At least 2 blooms per year and oh, the scent!
GardenQuilts, DGers grow Daphnes in Erie & Scranton and I think I've seen some New Englanders post photos too. You do have to be careful about heavy snow loads on them, as they will split open, but they do recover, even if they lose all of their leaves. Some of my others were looking pretty ragged about a month ago.
I've still never seen a Daphne at Lowes or HD. They are not readily available in the Northeast, except for Carol Mackie and an occasional other.
Thanks stormyla. I was half kidding about HD. I haven't been impressed with the local one.
GardenQuilts, you should try to come to Holly's swap on the 16th.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/956527/
yes, you should be fine growing daphne in Penn, my mother had a bush in the Springfield, MA area for many years, and I had one in Duxbury, MA for many years.
I would love to go, but it is a bit far for me to drive. It would be nice to meet everyone in person.
Too bad, Garden Quilts. Maybe there will be one closer this summer. Drop by the MidAtlantic forum and look for news!
Ok. I joined the northeast gardening forum. I will join that one also.
So glad I looked through this thread again.Honestly I have never heard of "rock daphne", does it grow down here in the land of long dry days, and heat, not to mention humidity?? Do they Vi-bird? Are they a true daphne?
The only one I have is "daphne odora marginita".They do well, and get waste high, and die.The ones I had for twenty two years died from a fungus caused by me cutting out an oak that grew too fast, and three years later the rotting stump caused all of them to dry up, and die.I don't know how I could have ever stopped it, but have plenty growing now.None waste high yet, but are looking good.
Mike
Can't help ya with those questions, Mike...maybe Vi will pop in soon for you!! Mine are only a few months old - 2 of the 3 infants are doing alright putting on new growth and did bloom for me. Loved that scent!!!