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Daphne x burkwoodii 'Carol Mackie' |
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| | This photo, taken in mid-August, shows how gorgeous the foliage stays through summer |
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| Family |
thymelaeaceae |
| Life cycle |
shrub (Z5-9) |
| Flowers |
pink/white (May) |
| Size |
3-4' |
| Light |
sun-part shade |
| Cultural notes |
ordinary garden soil |
Many plants stand out because of their variegated foliage - others shine when in bloom. This is one of the rarer ones that have both. The green/white variegated foliage is attractive all season, and the flowers in May are wonderful too. We got this as a small rooted cutting a few years ago, and it's still actively growing, about a foot tall now. The full-sized specimens I've seen are gorgeous - something to look forward to. That is - if ours survives. I made the mistake of transplanting it a year ago - it was too close to a garden path - in mid-autumn. Ever since, the plant has sulked severely, even though its new location was lovingly prepared and well tended all year. So it goes with daphnes, I gather. The main plant died back altogether in the next winter. I was just about to dig and discard it in mid-May, when I noticed a couple of sprouts emerging from below the soil level. One was all-green, so I removed it; but the other had the desired variegation. So I'm hopeful that within a few years we'll have a presentable specimen once again.
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| | and in January |
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| | Its foliage does deteriorate through winter; new growth appears in April |
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| | In full glory, late April |
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| | Poor daphne, still barely any leaves a year after transplanting |
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In our garden, this plant grows in the following area: side garden About my plant portraits
Visitors to this page have left the following comments| s.herrmann | Apr 27, 2006 | I'm not finding anything on pruning. Do you have any information. My plant is beginning to look rather tall and scraggly.
I haven't had to prune mine yet. The article at http://www.darrelltrout.com/dtartdappru.asp may be helpful. |
| EJ | Sep 16, 2006 | We have a few Carol Mackies. Two are doing well and the third (as early as August)looks like it looks in mid-winter. What are we doing wrong?
No idea - it must be stressed somehow. Good luck getting it back to health. |
| JahSwamp | Sep 30, 2006 | Be careful pruning Daphne as the bark can tear. It is best to make quick clean cuts, holding the branch which will be discarded as it drops off. They recover well from pruning.
Daphne sometimes have the habit of dieing unexpectedly. This is no reason not to try this beautiful, fragrant plant. |
| Klg | Apr 30, 2008 | I have three Carol Mackies. I had to move the largest most established last summer. This spring, the two that weren't moved are doing great. The moved plant isn't doing anything. When I scrape the bark with my fingernail it is green so I don't think it's truly dead. What do you think....should I wait for it to do something or should I replace it?
Well, don't give up hope just yet - but mine didn't survive its transplant. It limped along for a year, then died off completely over the following winter. |
| EaDarcy | May 13, 2008 | I planted two 1-gallon plants last spring. Many roots were exposed, and I left them exposed all winter to prevent rot. Now that they are growing quickly, they flop over. Any suggestions to helping them stay upright? Should I bury the exposed roots deeper? Stakes? |
| Mfederico | Jul 15, 2008 | I have rosebushes with open space in between each. Do these work great as fillers? How tall do they get, because my roses feed off the sun, and I don't want other plants hovering over them.
I would not use these as "filler" plants - they do get to be quite large, and are nearly impossible to move (as I found out the hard way). |
| sjones | Aug 01, 2008 | My 5 year old daphne which is 5 feet wide and 3 tall was overtaken by a porcelain vine last summer. Now half of the daphne is bare and only the far reaches of the branches on the other side have leaves. Don't know if perhaps it will all leaf out next year now that the vine is gone. Think I will try pruning some of the totally bare branches - should I?
Personally, I'd wait a bit, to see where regrowth will occur. If the affected branches don't leaf out by next spring, I'd cut them back then. |
| bsettle | Aug 22, 2008 | I need to move a lovely carole mackie daphne. The above comments are discouraging. Are there any pointers you can give to help me succeed in this move?
I made my attempt in fall - if I were to try again, I'd go for early spring. Cut back the top growth a good bit, and dig out as much of the root system as possible, trying to leave some soil on the central root clump. Still, no guarantees. |
| salsa1 | Aug 29, 2008 | I planted carol last year. She is doing great. This week I noticed a few flowers on her. Is it possible that she can rebloom? I live in northeast Wisconsin.
Yes, I've seen occasional rebloom as well - but nothing like the near-continuous flowering of Daphne retusa. |
| bbrooker | Oct 02, 2008 | Just like bsettle, I am going to need to move a beautiful Carole Mackie Daphne that is approximately 8 years old and 3 x 5 feet in size. I am in Kansas City. You suggested to her to attempt in Spring, I cannot wait until spring, so are there any tips for fall transplanting. I am so nervous about moving her because I have tried to establish other CM daphnes in other places in my garden with no success. Even the local nurseries have trouble keeping them alive. Any tips?
Afraid not. I wish you luck :-) |
| iland2@frontiernet.net | Oct 05, 2008 | My Daphne is several years old and has never bloomed, it gets some afternoon sun, is in a fairly protected area, it is growing and has tripled in size but has never had a flower. Does it need longer sunlight, if so I can cut back a geranium
The way you describe your site's lighting, I would not be surprised if the flowerlessness was due to a deficit of direct sunlight. So yes, I'd try to bring some more light in. |
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Last modified:
May 17, 2008
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