Friday, November 28, 2014

Daphne x houtteana is my favorite plant this week (plus a wrap up of all November’s favs)…

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.

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.

18 comments:

  1. I love when you post about a plant that should be able to survive my winters, but then hate when I see some other clue that it may not thrive here. In this case there are two: "likes even moisture", and the z9 upper limit, which often indicates that plants don't like hot, humid summers.

    This one looks wonderful though, so I may be tempted to give it a try -- once prices come down a bit. :)

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    1. One of these is growing in a cement courtyard at a local medical office, it must get pretty punishingly hot there during the summer (it is in a spot that gets mid-day shade).

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  2. Ha! Usually when I buy a plant and then ignore it, when I go back to check on it, it's always gone without a trace. What great luck that it was still alive. I'm still a bit scared of trying a Daphne.

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    1. Ya I'd read enough about their finicky ways that I was a little nervous too, and I selected the spot I planted it in so carefully!

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  3. I love Daphne but, sadly, it doesn't like my climate. After cleaning up after last night's raccoon party, I got some photos of one of the shining stars of my backyard garden for today's favorites wrap-up: http://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2014/11/my-favorite-plant-this-week-yucca.html

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  4. Oh my, that's a beauty indeed! It looks like a cross between a dark leafed Aeonium and a dark leafed Euphorbia. Glad to see that you managed to save it as Daphne's can be finicky plants.

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  5. This is one of my all time favorite plants. I have had fairly good luck growing them in sandy gravely soil and full sun. Mine seem to get a bit leggy and ratty after several years and so I have removed my too oldest and biggest this last spring. One because of vole problems and another was getting shaded out (Azara getting too big) and resenting it. Hope yours responds well in the recovery trough. It will be a stunning addition to your cool garden. I wish someone had the magic potion or perfect care and feeding instructions for this beauty.

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    1. Sandy gravely soil in full sun...good to know as I go looking for it's new home. That shading out issue is going to be a reoccurring one in my garden as things grow.

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  6. Daphnes seem to need coddling, so why not go for one that's worth the effort. Love those dark leaves.
    My fave this time was a giveaway from your seminar for HPSO back in 2011: http://bannersbyricki.com/archives/4177

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    1. I've heard all those rumors of these plants being picky and then I see huge ones growing in the neighborhood in front of homes where "gardening" doesn't seem to be a priority...

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  7. The plant that helped to grow your crush is very handsome. I'm sure yours will get there in no time now that it's receiving some TLC. Do you think you'll allow it to flower?
    Here's my favourite.

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    1. Yes, I actually am curious if the flowers on the dark leaved plant are as fragrant as on the others.

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  8. I wonder if this plant would be happy outside six months out of the year, and inside in a cool sunroom in a pot for the other six months? It's a beauty, and I could see taking a chance on it. I don't have many houseplants, but my Cyclamen and Lemon tree seem to thrive during the winter in a 40F to 65F room. I keep them both misted, so that room has a higher moisture level than the rest of the house. Great plant!

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    1. You should try it! What have you got to loose (well, other than a little money), and just think of the wonderful scent in your home if it bloomed!

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  9. I've seen Daphne blooming on blogs in much colder climates but did not realize it would go to zone 9. If a good nursery sells it here I might just give it a try. Nice recap, I'm seriously considering a Y. rostrata.

    Sliding in just under the wire on this one with the star of my November garden - Muhlenbergia capillaris
    http://rockoakdeer.blogspot.com/2014/11/my-favorite-plant-in-garden-for.html

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    1. Oh I hope you do (both the daphne and the yucca) and you'll write about them!

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