Another picture, closer up.

They look pretty normal to me for Daphne odoras. Agree with flora that this would not be helped by staking. They resent being moved so if you're going to move them, do it while they're small.

Sideways habit normal - good choice for planting beneath taller kinds that could use some basal furnishing, such as hybrid rhododendrons that have some years behind them. Not a good choice for locations where the daphne is the dominant element, as it is just not of specimen character.

come on peeps...

they have been dormant since she planted them in October ...

they did not lean away from darkness while dormant ...

if it were me.... i would search down into the plant.. especially on the ones drooping over the walkway.. and snip a small part out.. until the rest pops upright..

i would look to do this after flowering ...

if selection had been high.. i probably.. with my knowledge base.. not have bought the droopy one.. i would have seen it coming ...

BUT!!!... lacking a lot to choose from.. this one is fine.. and with a little pruning guidance... over the next year or two.. they can be made fine ...

do not love them to death.. ignore.. them.. let them be themselves .... and simply understand.. they lived over winter

YOU WIN!!! ... lol

ken

ps: if an 8 inch branch droops... you cut back to a bud at 6 inches.. half the time.. that is enough removed.. for it to straighten ... and the other half the time... snip 2 more inches off ... but i hesitate to tell you that.. for fear you will go making them into some really ugly round balls ... wait until at least late summer.. before you even think about cutting on these things.. lets let them settle in.. and see what they will do about it ...

Ken, you are missing the point!! These are not stiffly upright shrubs - that sprawling, leaning habit is very typical Daphne odora. And pruning won't help - they are what they are. Since you are so quick to point out that plants are not kids and we shouldn't "love" them or tend them to death, you should expand that advice to include letting them grow the way they want to grow, rather than forcing them into some unnatural habit :-))

As long as the soil is really well-drained (and I mean really well-drained), they should get established and fill in. You can do some selective pruning (or pinching) later on over time. I would leave them alone for now and let them get settled and well-established. May take several years.

You probably know that daphnes can be tempermental. If they like the spot, they'll do admirably, if not, they'll up and die on you. I've killed many myself and am always wanting to try again in a different spot!

They're worth it in my opinion. There's not much out there that smells any better!

I have 4 large Carol Mackie facing the north side in Denver, primarily in shade. They are 6 years old and extremely healthy, flowered and fragrant. I’m considering staking them to support them in the winter when the snow flattens them like a pancake. They do perk up when the snow melts. Does anyone have experience with how to stake/support them?

welcome nancy ..

you should ,. next time.. start your own post.. and add pix ...

i have found.. that when you let a plant cope.. it seems to do better than when i artificially force my will on them .. because i usually end up doing more harm than good ...

in other words.. stuff breaks where i tied them up ..

let the plants achieve their natural form ... and dont try to force your aesthetic on them.. short of topiary of course ...

a pic or two might change my mind ...

are you aware of the usual life span of CMs???

ken