Spring and summer flowering

D. laureola This British native is a small, bushy, evergreen shrub, ideal for a shady situation. Its fragrant, yellow-green flowers, produced in early spring, are partly concealed beneath the glossy, darkgreen leaves. The flowers are followed by black berries. 60cm. RHS H5, USDA 6a-9b. D. pontica A small, spreading, evergreen shrub that is happiest under the light shade of trees and tolerant of heavy clay soils. Glossy green leaves show off the large clusters of fragrant, yellow-green flowers that are produced freely in late spring. 60cm. RHS H5, USDA 6a-9b. D. caucasica Small, deciduous shrub, which blooms from late spring well into summer, sometimes into autumn. The clusters of white flowers are fragrant and often followed by yellow fruits. Best grown in dappled shade on moist, acid soil. 1.2m. RHS H5, USDA 4a-8b. Daphne x transatlantica Eternal Fragrance (= ‘Blafra’) A compact, evergreen shrub with small, narrow leaves. Clusters of blush flowers appear at the tips of the shoots from mid spring. A good plant for a sheltered narrow border. 60cm. AGM. RHS H5, USDA 6a-9b. D. acutiloba ‘Fragrant Cloud’ A domed shrub with dark-green leaves and dark stems. The clusters of relatively large white flowers appear at the tips of the shoots in mid-spring; the fragrance is intoxicating. Red berries often follow the flowers. 1.2m. RHS H4, USDA 8a-9b. D. x burkwoodii ‘Astrid’ A rounded, bushy shrub with narrow, blue-green leaves finely edged with creamy yellow. Clusters of fragrant, pink flowers, appear from late spring through to midsummer. A good shrub for foliage interest. 60cm. RHS H4, USDA 5a-8b.

Daphne x transatlantica Pink Fragrance (= ‘Blapink’) Similar to Eternal Fragrance, but with pink flowers flushed with white. Evergreen and compact in habit, it is ideal for a small garden and grows on both acid and alkaline soils. 60cm. RHS H5, USDA 6a-9b. D. x burkwoodii ‘Lavenirii’ A cross between D. cneorum and D. caucasica that was raised in France in 1920. Has clusters of extremely fragrant, pale-pink flowers, darker in the centres, from late spring well into summer. A spreading shrub, it grows best on alkaline soil. 60cm. RHS H4, USDA 5a-8b. D. cneorum A dwarf shrub with prostrate branches and narrow evergreen leaves. The large clusters of sweetly fragrant, pink flowers appear in mid to late spring. Often tricky to establish, it needs a sheltered, open situation on chalk soil. 15cm. RHS H5, USDA 4a-9b. D. tangutica A small, rounded shrub with neat, leathery, evergreen leaves. Modest clusters of heavily fragrant, white-flushed, purple flowers open from purple buds in spring, and often again in late summer. Red fruits follow. 60cm. AGM. RHS H5, USDA 5a-8b.

Daphne x napolitana A compact, evergreen shrub with large terminal clusters of fragrant, purple-pink flowers; the colour fades as the flowers age. Needs neutral to acid soil in a sheltered situation and resents disturbance. 75cm. AGM. RHS H5, USDA 6a-9b. Daphne x hendersonii A natural hybrid, discovered in Italy and introduced by Chris Brickell in 1981, this is a dwarf, evergreen shrub of prostrate habit. Fragrant, pink flowers open from mid spring to early summer, displayed against glossy green foliage. 30cm. RHS H5, USDA 5a-8b. Daphne x rollsdorfii ‘Wilhelm Schacht’ Bushy and upright in habit with glossy, evergreen leaves this small shrub has particularly showy clusters of highly fragrant, purple-pink flowers in mid-spring. Grows on alkaline or acid soil. 45cm. AGM. RHS H5, USDA 6a-9b. Daphne x susannae ‘Cheriton’ A slow-growing evergreen shrub forming a low mound of shining green leaves, grey-green on the undersides. Clusters of fragrant, purple-pink flowers are produced in late spring and again in late summer. 45cm. RHS H5, USDA 6a-9b.