Snasxs..is the subject a question?
By chance, is your plant a variegated lilac?
Whatever it is, it's beautiful!! Very nice..And fragrant, too? Toni

it is a daphne odora and the fragrance is wonderful. mine have begun to open, as well.
i lost the one that had pink flowers like snasxs' photo but still have a white-flowered form with variegated foliage.
winter honeysuckle, with its strong lemony fragrance, is also in bloom in my yard.
we have not seen the most extreme temps yet, though. it is normally colder here in february than any other month and is supposed to be in the mid-70's today.
are daphne not hardy outdoors in your area, snasxs?

Toni,

If you have not smelled these before, please get one immediately. You have missed such a benevolent marvel of our world.

Jeff,

I am no expert of these. I only see Southern Magnolia, Hydrangea, Azalea and Japanese Honey suckles in our neighborhood. I think Daphne is more cold-hardy. But I guess people donÂt know these, perhaps?

as snasxs recommends, if you can grow this shrub, it is a nice one for your garden or container. d. odora is a refined-looking plant to me and almost looks artificial. the foliage is waxy and the flower clusters are perched at the branch tips. i was reluctant to try one after hearing about "daphne death" whereas the shrub will abrubtly die for no apparent reason. it could happen any day now but it has been a pleasure to watch this one grow and enjoy the rich fragrance. also heard it was slow growing but found a pic from the first year i planted it (winter 2006) and, comparing to todays shot, it has grown at a good pace in 3 years. you can compare the sizes to the concrete planter behind.

(click thumbnails for larger image)
this one and the pink-flowerd form were both offered at a local box-store garden center in small pots, along with the threadleaf nandina (which needs to be moved) that fronts the daphne. some nice finds, i thought.

Jeff,

WOW! That is an awesome accomplishment. It must feel like your child, Jeff. I am kind of jealous at your surviving shrub. It must smell great now. Sorry for the death of your pink daphne. So the shrub dropped dead in one day?

BTW, here is a 15-year-old daphne: {{gwi:781821}}

Quote the author "Â are so fragrant one cluster will perfume an entire room. "

So you could imagine ...

no, not one day. it was a result of our continuing summer droughts the past few years. by the time i realized it was happening, was too late. they seem to behave like roses do when drought stressed. did not indicate by wilting but just began to collapse over the course of a few days and never recovered.
that is a beautiful specimen in the photo you linked. if mine gets that big, it will almost be too large for the site where it is planted. of course, rather than try to move or prune it, i could just close that path and walk elsewhere so as not to disturb it. ;-)

Jeff,

That is one gorgeous Plant!! You should be very proud of your growing skills!

Can this plant be purchased at the big box stores? How well do you think this will do in Central FL? Full sun or part shade? I will have to check my nurseries for one.
Where has this plant been all my life, LOL...

Any info is appreciated, Thanks!

perhaps with this plant it is more about planting skills and site location. i do very little for it except for some supplemental water in hot, dry weather.
the soil is a sandy loam with organic matter and the site has bright, filtered light in summer with winter sun. plant them high and mulch the roots. i don't prune or fertilize. this one has never needed pruning but i read that in colder climates, they can be damaged from snow accumulation. i won't even take any flowers from the tips, fearing resentment by the plant! ;-)
supposed to grow in zones 7b-9 so would be worth a try in florida in high shade. these were cheap at the big orange box store.
i fear the predicted lows for this week may kill the flowers. forecasters calling for 19 degrees on thursday; maybe some snow, too.

Ok, Jeff, let us know how your daphne odora survives 19 degrees. I look forward to know the result.

forecasting 14 degrees now for thursday/friday, no precipitation! that is for montgomery and could be a couple of degrees colder in auburn.
i am sure the flowers will be lost, even if i cover the plant.
anybody know if the shrub can handle temps that low?
i don't recall anything lower than 18 since i have lived here and that was years ago before i grew daphne.

I have zone jealousy! We can't grow those here! Sad........ My only fragrant hope is a huge Darlow's Enigma rose that I have ordered. Our summers range from 109 degrees f, to 120 degrees f. It is guaranteed that on the one day we get 120 degrees, the AC will go out!! Sigh

Jeff,

Thanks for the info! I just came back from home depot unfortunately, they never heard of this plant and knew nothing about them...no big surprise there, LOL...if you are ever in the store again, would you mind getting a
UPC code, maybe I can have them look it up for me and
special order it? Only if you happen to be there and you see them in stock...Thanks!!

I prefer to buy it locally, especially since they have a one year guarantee on all their plants...plus no shipping charges!

Snasxs..that is one beauty..I've never heard let alone saw Daphne.
Come spring, I'm going to hunt for one..lol..It's too cold now..0F Degrees.

How difficult is this plant? It's care? Does it have another name?
More important, how does it do as a house plant? It won't survive outdoors here in winter, right?
Sorry for all the questions, I'll Google, but it's nice getting info from ppl who grow plants, personally. Thanks for the heads up on yet another plant, lol. Toni

Indeed, This Daphne cultivar is very fragrant. I have a very large plant in a 20gal pot. The plant can endure short period of freezing. No insect or disease problem.

You can root the plant rather easily.

Snasxs,

What a beautiful plant you have!!!! Great job.

I myself bought a "Carol Daphne" two years ago. It is the most fragrant bush I have ever smelled in the spring. All my neighbors comment on the sweet smell! Very trong fragrance!
I 'll bet you treasure that plant snasxs!
Is it true that they can all of a sudden die though ,at any moment for no apparant reason? That is what the greenhouse said and what I read of them when I googled.

Take care!

Mike, perhaps Daphne doesnÂt like strangers. If you prevent unnecessary people and dogs from walking near it, it should survive fine. This is just a guess.

Mike,

I asked about the "Daphne death" you are talking about. Daphne has a number of species and hybrids. For example, Carol Daphne is a hybrid.

On the other hand, Daphne Odora does NOT have the problem. It is not a difficult shrub to keep.

My favorite fragrance. I've tried growing it in zone 10 (Sunset zone 24). I had no luck in the ground, but have had one for a number of years in a pot. I had to buy it in Northern California and carry it home on an airplane. It's just starting to bloom now. It's worth whatever trouble it takes to grow it.
Ruth

Good point snasxs...No strangers near that plants this year. Not even Racoons.
Thanks for the info.
Yes it is a hybrid. Last spring when my Daphne started to grow, about 1/4 of the plant had dead drown and dried out stems. Like a whole once side of it. Thankgod not the whole plant. And last winter was milder than this one. I even covered it last winter. This winter I didn't even cover it. I hope it makes it through this winter. I love that plant.
Think I am going to try to purchase the one you were saying that is not as difficult to grow. The Odora. I love yours!
Take care ok..
Mike

d. odora won't be hardy outdoors in zone 5. will have to grow it in a container and move indoors.

Greetings,
I am new on this forum and have ordred Daphne mezereum seeds to grow inside. Does anyone have one of these types, is it a hybrid also?
I have an orange jasmine, an orange tree(starts with "m"),three french lavenders,several violets, and another type of jasmine that reminds me a bit of mothballs :-(
I have just started night blooming jasmine from seed and will be doing spanish lavender and corkscrew vine soon.
Thank you for any and all advice! Brandy