Daphne eternal fragrance

It is always interesting to see new plants and Daphne 'Eternal fragrance' is one of the recent releases. It goes by the full name of Daphne x transatlantica 'eternal fragrance' and comes in two forms, a white flowering plant and the pink form, pictured right.

As with many new plants the hype around this release is all over the media, 'a must have plant'. The question is, does it live up to the hype.

It certainly is a long flowering plant, and it is fragrant. It is sold as evergreen in some nurseries however we find that it will be deciduous to semi deciduous in cold climates.

The flowers do have a nice fragrance, however we actually prefer Daphne odora flowers for both fragrance and appearance. The foliage is attractive, however again we prefer D. odora.

Where Daphne 'Eternal fragrance' does win is in the long flowering nature of the plant and its ability to handle sunny conditions well. Although in the UK, most Daphne can grow well in full sun anyway.

So in review, it has a few very strong points

Care

Full sun in the UK, although in warmer climates we feel that in very hot afternoon sun Daphne 'Eternal fragrance' would require some protection. One of the main requirements is a well drained soil, all daphne require good drainage.

A humus rich soil will be best, however daphne do survive in poor soil and it is not fussy about soil ph. The only watering required would be on planting, when we would water well with a liquid seaweed fertilizer, and during any long dry spells in summer.

Be aware that like many plants Daphne 'Eternal fragrance' does not like root disturbance, so it will not like to be transplanted and it will need careful repotting as well. Sometimes daphne's will just sulk a little after transplanting if handled careful and a good root ball is taken, other times they will decide to die out of revenge for being disturbed.

Pruning

Daphne 'Eternal fragrance' is fairly slow growing and will not need regular pruning. However to maintain a bushy shape, or to prune to shape, do so just after flowering in spring. Do not prune if cold weather is imminent Remove any dead, diseased or damaged wood at any time.