Daphne odora

Stunning

I had one of these many years ago; just by looking at your lovely picture, I can call to mind the powerful scent of this stunning flower.

David

A powerful scent to be sure, have one in the glass house in flower it's pleasure to walk in, don't think the flowers are as good as yours.

Last year both my D. odora dropped most of their leaves and flowers were all white. It was a mild winter (in comparison) and I heated the room they were in so the flowers were open in December. It would be nice to be able to grow some Daphnes in a glass house, I have seen pictures of Daphne x whiteorum flowering under glass and they looked incredible. If you get a chance and haven't already, you might want to check out Robin White's book on Daphnes. There's a lot of really good info and pictures, especially on how to grow and propagate daphnes. It's called Daphnes: A Practical Guide for Gardeners and is published by Timber Press.

David- Any time I even see a picture of pink Jasmine vine I am reminded of how powerful the scent of the flowers are. It's amazing how memorable some scents can be.
What happened to the one you had many years ago?

Rkwright, a Floristry Teacher of mine told me, many years ago, that the Daphne was very easy to take cuttings from. I've never had a go to be honest, but my Daphne is absolutely huge so I thought I'd cut it back this year and take some cuttings. Have you any tips?

For the most part, they are easy to grow from cuttings. I take at least 20 cuttings a season and usually don't lose more than 2-3.
Daphne odora has a reputation for being very easy to grow from cuttings but for some reason I have never once been able to get that one to root. What I have been told about Daphne odora is that it can be damaged by rooting hormones and that it roots best without a hormone. If this is the one you are trying to root and cuttings don't work, try propagating it by layering.
For any other daphne, I take semi-hardwood cuttings early to mid-summer and use 3000-5000ppm IBA rooting hormone (powder and liquid have both worked well for me). They usually root within 4-6 weeks, some root easier and faster than others. The only other daphne I have had trouble rooting is Daphne tangutica but I know it can be done without too much difficulty, I just haven't attempted that one enough to figure it out yet. Daphne tangutica is an easy one to grow from seed and I have heard it is a faster way to get a nice plant. If you get a chance, check out Robin White's book: Daphnes: A Practical Guide for Gardeners. There's a lot of very helpful tips regarding propagation and cultural care of daphnes.

Thanks very much rkwright - I'll add this to my favourites and let you know how I get on! :o)