This is Daphne x houtteana, but it could have just as easily been Daphne houtteana because to be completely honest - I'm not sure what the difference is and I certainly didn't care which one I ended up with. All I know is I wanted that dark leaf daphne. And once I got it, I nearly killed it.
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After finally deciding I needed this plant bad enough to pay the crazy prices being asked for it ($35, $49, and up) do you think I could find it? Anywhere? After months of looking? No. So I'd finally given up on it when, then, months later while at Youngblood Nursery on business, what should I discover they just happen to grow? Yes indeed. So I bought it (at a nice price), brought it home and planted it. And then got busy and forgot about it. And things grew and it got lost...until that one day in September when I remembered, hey, what about that dark leaved daphne? I uncovered it to discover just a few leaves remaining. It looked nearly dead. It needed serious TLC, and that's why it's now in a driveway stock tank where I can keep an eye on it.
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The new growth emerges green and then turns dark. I am thrilled it's putting out new growth, proof it lives!
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Maybe someday it will look as good as this one I spotted years ago at City People's Nursery in Seattle (while my crush was still developing)...
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Youngblood says: "Deep purple-black foliage sets this variety apart. Lightly scented purple flowers in late spring. Give full sun for best color. Daphne laureola X Daphne mezereum. Semi-evergreen. Zone 6-9"...to that I will add that it likes even moisture and should reach an eventual height of 2-3 feet.
Now if I can just find the perfect spot for it come spring.
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This post begins the new "month-end" (last Friday of the month) wrap up of favorite plant posts. Earlier in November I posted about our Yucca rostrata collection and the Daphniphyllum macropodum v. humile. What plants have stood out for you during this "game changing" month of November? (game changing = in my part of the world there's no denying winter is ready to pounce at any moment - in other parts of the world it's now time to plant and play in your gardens!)
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All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
After finally deciding I needed this plant bad enough to pay the crazy prices being asked for it ($35, $49, and up) do you think I could find it? Anywhere? After months of looking? No. So I'd finally given up on it when, then, months later while at Youngblood Nursery on business, what should I discover they just happen to grow? Yes indeed. So I bought it (at a nice price), brought it home and planted it. And then got busy and forgot about it. And things grew and it got lost...until that one day in September when I remembered, hey, what about that dark leaved daphne? I uncovered it to discover just a few leaves remaining. It looked nearly dead. It needed serious TLC, and that's why it's now in a driveway stock tank where I can keep an eye on it.
The new growth emerges green and then turns dark. I am thrilled it's putting out new growth, proof it lives!
Maybe someday it will look as good as this one I spotted years ago at City People's Nursery in Seattle (while my crush was still developing)...
Youngblood says: "Deep purple-black foliage sets this variety apart. Lightly scented purple flowers in late spring. Give full sun for best color. Daphne laureola X Daphne mezereum. Semi-evergreen. Zone 6-9"...to that I will add that it likes even moisture and should reach an eventual height of 2-3 feet.
Now if I can just find the perfect spot for it come spring.
This post begins the new "month-end" (last Friday of the month) wrap up of favorite plant posts. Earlier in November I posted about our Yucca rostrata collection and the Daphniphyllum macropodum v. humile. What plants have stood out for you during this "game changing" month of November? (game changing = in my part of the world there's no denying winter is ready to pounce at any moment - in other parts of the world it's now time to plant and play in your gardens!)
All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.