Eternal Fragrance Daphne (Daphne x transatlantica ‘BLAFRA’)

• Extraordinarily Long-Lived Flowers Last for Months
• Luscious Fragrance
• Pink-Blushed Flowers in Spring
• Often Reblooms Through Summer
• Tiny Flowers are Held in Clusters on Tips of Branches
• Excellent Choice for Butterflies, Beneficial Pollinators and Hummingbirds
• Tidy, Rounded Form
• Dark Green, Gleaming Foliage is Densely Held
• Versatile Small Shrub
• Semi-Evergreen Retains Leaves in Warmer Climates
• Fine-Textured Foliage
• Does Well in Full Sun or Partial Shade
• Deer Tend to Leave it Alone
• Disease Resistant
• Use in Containers with Great Drainage
• No Need to “Baby” This Durable Shrub

Compact plants that give a lot, but require little care are worth their weight in gold. Eternal Fragrance Daphne (Daphne x transatlantica ‘BLAFRA’ PP #18,361) is definitely on that list.

Fall in love with the outstanding fragrance that lasts for months and months in spring to summer. Pretty clusters of petite blossoms open at the end of the branches for a showy, scented display.

A wonderfully fragrant plant, Eternal Fragrance Daphne is the longest blooming of the Daphne and grows quite happily in dappled sunlight.

Exquisitely fresh, sweet-n-spicy, slightly fruity fragrance of Daphne blooms attract jewel-toned hummingbirds and butterflies. Do your part to support the nectar needs of beneficial pollinators. Eternal Fragrance Daphne makes it easy!

Enjoy the main flush of diminutive bloom clusters in spring through early summer. But watch for blooms to keep coming throughout the season.

Best to enjoy them on the bush, rather than as cut flowers. You’d hate to miss any of the subsequent sporadic blooms from the branches.

This Daphne variety holds its leaves densely. However, the slender leaf shape reads as fine-textured in the landscape. The rounded shape grows into a sweet, tidy ball with minimal pruning.

Beautifully lustrous leaves remain evergreen as long as the temperature remains above zero degrees in wintertime. Otherwise, they’ll drop and reappear in springtime.

Eternal Fragrance Daphne actually does well with a little “benign neglect.” Don’t overwater it, or plant in overly rich soils.

How to Use Eternal Fragrance Daphne in the Landscape

Plant in high-profile areas, where the intoxicating scent offers a wonderful welcome. Try a pair flanking your front door, or run a short hedge of them along your walkway.

Space two feet apart on center for a solid screen. You’ll measure from the center of one to the center of the next.

Use them as cunning modern foundation plants. Decorate patios with a wonderfully fresh, fruity-floral scent.

Plant them on slopes as a mass-planting. Vary the spacing from two to five feet for a natural, informal look.

Wherever you use them, keep your camera handy to capture your charming hummingbird visitors. Beneficial pollinators love them, too.

Add Eternal Fragrance Daphne near your Victory Garden to encourage larger yields from your veggie patch and fruiting trees. A short row will dress up the “company-side” of your Kitchen Garden.

Try them in containers, but only if you drill extra drainage holes and amend the mix with pathway bark. They simply won’t tolerate sitting in wet soil.

Tips for Care

Site your Eternal Fragrance Daphne carefully. It resents being moved or repotted.

It does love a bit of shade from noon onward, especially in the warmer zones. Give them at least four hours of direct sunlight a day. Bright morning sun is best.

Drainage is the most important consideration for a successful Daphne. If you live with sandy soil, you’ll likely be fine. It’s when your garden soil retains water for a long time that presents a problem.

Daphne must have well-drained soil, especially in inland areas that receive good rainfall. Elevate your planting in a mound of additional soil 18 inches by three feet wide.

Create a sharp-draining soil mix by amending clay soils with organic soil conditioner and gritty, all-purpose sand. Support the roots with Nature Hills Root Booster and an application of phosphorus-rich bone meal, following instructions on the label.

Like Azaleas, you’ll want to plant the root ball high, keeping an inch or two of the nursery soil showing. Pull a layer of wood mulch up and over to cover. Pull it back so that it doesn’t touch the stems.

Prune after the first main flush of flowers is finished to shape, as needed. Keep it smaller at that time with tip-pruning back to an outward-facing bud.

Daphne can easily get overwatered. During the first season, use the “Finger Test” to determine when to water.

Poke your finger into the ground near the roots. If it is moist, skip watering. If it is nearly dry, saturate the soil around your plant to establish a deep, extensive root system. Then, let it dry back out again.

Container-grown plants need a big, deep pot filled with a sharp-drained, chunky planting mix. Water as needed, and allow to drain completely. Please don’t use saucers under outdoor containers; rather, elevate the container with bricks or pot feet.

In warmer climates, the leaves remain on the shrub. In colder zones, it will behave as a deciduous plant.

Enjoy the amazing fragrance of these long-blooming semi-evergreen shrubs. You’ll be so glad to experience their charm.