How To Plant, Prune, Fertilize, Water, Grow And Care For Winter Daphne Plants

Despite the remarkable variety of gardening myths about its requirements, Winter Daphne is very hardy and easy to grow.

Here's a breakdown of what you need to know...

Winter Daphne will thrive a wide variety of soils, including amended clay. It prefers a lightly moist, humusy, sandy, well-drained soil. As with so many other types of ornamental shrubs, constantly soggy or wet soils can be a killer. So just make sure to plant your Winter Daphne in well-drained soil. When watering, water only as needed to maintain a damp soil. During winter Daphne will rarely if ever require supplemental water. 

How To Test Soil Drainage  

If you are uncertain about soil drainage in the area you intend to plant your Winter Daphne, it's well worth taking the time to test the drainage before planting. 

To test soil drainage, dig a hole 12" wide by 12" deep in the planting area. Fill the hole with water and let it drain. Then, after it drains, fill it with water again, but this time clock how long it takes to drain. In well-drained soil the water level will go down at a rate of about 1 inch an hour. A faster rate, such as in loose, sandy soil, may signal potentially dry site conditions and possibly a need to add some moisture retentive organic matter. A slower rate indicates poor draining soil and is a caution you need to improve drainage, plant in a raised mound or bed, or look for plants that are more tolerant of wet or boggy conditions.

Winter Daphne grow best in a slightly acid to neutral soil ranging from 6.0 to 7.0 on the pH scale. Most average garden soils fall between a pH range of 6.0 to 7.0.

Winter Daphne thrives in deep shade to part shade. Morning sun with afternoon shade or all-day dappled shade is fine. Avoid exposure to direct afternoon sun.

Start by digging your planting hole at least two to three times as wide and as deep or not much deeper than the root ball of your plant. The wider the hole the better. Place native soil removed from planting hole around the perimeter of the hole, in a wheel barrow, or on a tarp.

Depending on the type, fertility, and porosity of the soil in the planting area, it may be beneficial to amend the native soil. When planting in heavy clay soil mix bagged top soil or a good planting mix at a 50/50 ratio with the soil to enhance porosity and ensure good drainage. When planting in a sandy, quick-draining soil amending with top soil or peat moss will help with moisture retention and also supply plants with vital nutrients. When planting in fertile, loamy, well-drained soil there may not be a need to amend soil.

Daphne plants do not like to have their roots disturbed. So, to remove your Winter Daphne plant from the nursery container it was grown in it might be best to use a snipping tool to carefully cut the container away. That said, if you can very carefully lift and remove the root ball from the container without causing damage to the roots you can do it that way.

CAUTION, PLEASE NOTE!  There is no need to loosen feeder roots on Daphne plants before planting. Daphne do not like to have their roots disturbed or damaged, which can cause stress and possible death of the plant.

Well-Drained Soil: When planting in a well-drained soil, or one that drains at at least 1 inch per hour during the soil drainage test, set your Winter Daphne in the planting hole so that the top edge of the root ball is slightly above ground level to allow for settling.

Moderately Draining Soil: When planting in soil that drains more slowly, at 1/2 to 3/4  inch per hour during the soil drainage test, set the plant in the planting hole so that 2 to 3 inches of the root ball is above ground level. It may be necessary to place some of your backfill soil mixture in the bottom of the hole to achieve proper planting height.

Poor Draining Soil: If the soil in the planting hole takes more than a day to drain, which means the roots of a plant will be standing in water for a day or more after heavy rainfall, take measures to improve soil drainage or select another plant species more tolerant of wet soils.

After setting your Winter Daphne in the planting hole, use one hand to hold the plant straight while using your other hand to begin backfilling the soil mixture around the root ball, tamping as you go to remove air pockets. Be careful to disturb the roots of the plant as little as possible while backfilling your soil mixture around the root ball. When you have filled the hole to the halfway point you can soak the soil. Then continue backfilling to the top edge of the root ball. To avoid suffocating your plant, avoid placing any soil on top of the root ball.

Note:  If you are planting with the top of the root ball higher than ground level, as shown in the planting illustration above, taper your soil mixture gradually from the top edge of the root ball to the ground level. 

Note:  Allow soil to dry out before watering again. See Daphne watering instructions further below on this page.

Apply a thin, 1" layer of shredded wood mulch or bark, or a 1-2" layer of pine straw, around your newly planted shrub. Avoid the use of freshly chipped or shredded wood for mulch until it has cured in a pile for at least 6 months, a year is better. Avoid placing or piling mulch directly against the base of the shrub as this could cause problems with the bark.

PLEASE NOTE:

Some plants just don't like growing in pots, planters and other containers, and Daphne are one of these plants. Daphne much prefer growing in the ground. Honesty is the only way to go for us, so we must say that if you want to try growing them in containers do so at your own risk and don't say we didn't advise you not to!

With that said, if you must try growing a Daphne in containers, here's some tips that might increase your success...

Winter Daphne plants growing in pots appreciate a moist but well-drained soil. Constantly soggy or wet soil is problematic. Therefore, when planting a Winter Daphne in a container or pot, we suggest using a quality potting soil or potting mix, or a 50/50 combination thereof Make sure the container has a drainage hole(s). To ensure good drainage, you can add 20% perlite or pumice to the soil mixture. 

Choose a container that is large enough to allow for 2 to 3 years of growth before shifting up to a larger size container. This might mean your planting pot would be 4 inches or more in rim diameter than the root ball of your Winter Daphne. 

Container color will matter as well. Not only will you want to pick a color of container that goes well with the flower and foliage color of your Winter Daphne, you'll also want to pick a container that matches the style of your home or other structures and other plants in the surrounding environment. 

Many nursery & garden centers offer a wide variety of containers to choose from. Before heading out to buy a container take pictures of your home and the surrounding environment. Doing so will help you to choose just the right color and style.

Before filling your container with the soil mix, we recommend lining the bottom with shade cloth or a porous landscape fabric. This will keep the drain holes from becoming stopped up with soil. If you plave gravel or other materials in the bottom of the container lay the fabric over it.

Pour a small amount of your soil mixture in the bottom of the container. Set the shrub in the container and make necessary adjustments by adding or removing some soil so that the top edge of the root ball will sit 1/2" below the rim of the container.

Backfill with your potting soil around root ball, tamping as you go, until the level of potting soil is even with the top edge of root ball.

Water thoroughly until water starts to drain from the holes in the bottom of the container. Add more potting mix if settling occurs during watering.

Note:  Allow soil to dry out before watering again.

Apply a 1/2" layer of wood chips to soil surface for decoration.