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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
PlantLinks to other web pages about Daphne x burkwoodii 'Carol Mackie'
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. |
| joanne fanganello | Mar 16, 2009 | i have a four year old carol mackie daphne. it is about 3 ft. tall by 4 ft. round. i would like to prune it and perhaps start four or five new plants from the trimmings. can this be done? thank you, jo anne
I'm pretty sure my Carol Mackie was grafted, not simply rooted (it sent up unvariegated suckers), so I don't know if rooting is an option. Of course you can always try :-) |
| Cathie Gordon | Mar 18, 2009 | We have 6 carol mackie plants. They all died this winter. We have chemlawn treat them with fertilizer and incesticide. Has anyone else had problems with their carol mackie plants dieing this winter? |
| tinap | Apr 26, 2009 | I was quite taken with the Carol Mackie I saw at the shops. Before I buy it, however, I'd like someone to answer a question. I've read the branches tend to get heavy and collapse. I would be planting it in an area that tends to get waterlogged in the Spring (such as now). Would the roots still be okay? Thanks. |
| JennS | May 04, 2009 | I have a Carol Mackie who started out unhappy and on a whim I just ripped her three bare twigs of a plant up, moved it and hoped. Well, 5 years later she is about 4' across and 3' high - but she is kinda sticky and gangly looking, though in full bloom right now. Can I hack her back at some point to give her better shape? My two Winter Daphnes survived the snow amazingly well, and are in full bloom in their perfect 'fry guy' round mop head shapes. I want Carol to look more like them. Help?? |
| PinewoodsBear | May 06, 2009 | before you transplant your Daphne X burwoodii plant... try giving it superthrive or some other type of root stimulate solution a week or so before you move the plant. This gives the plant incentive to put out new roots. Repeat the process after you move the plant to its new home. Remember these products are NOT a fertilizer. Should help the plant recover and could prevent the mysterious sudden death these plants are noted for. |
| Mj | Jun 02, 2009 | I moved my beloved Carol Mackie last fall (late Oct in Chicago) and was sure I had killed her. I bought a new C.M. today and was set to replace, but noticed new signs of life on my transplant, a few buds on the tips of stems and green unfolding in a few spots. I'll search out the root stimulant suggested by Pinewoods Bear to help it further establish itself this season, so perhaps it can survive the summer and next winter as well. It is worth the effort. I really like this little shrub, and it does take several years to get them to be really beautiful. My 'replacement' doesn't yet compare to the shape of my older (4-5 years??) C.M. |
| fred | Jun 04, 2009 | i didnt know the name till i came here,my mackie is big and i love it. only issue is it wants to lay flat when in bloom.i will check out the link on pruning |
| Tove | Jun 07, 2009 | Just received a Carol Mackie as a gift. The leaves are curled into tight balls, and I was told it had just finished blooming. The planting medium is like clay, and so compact that even placing a finger into the clay is very difficult to even make a mark. I am tempted to replant it with a little bit of peat just to try to loosen it up a little. I understand that when I plant it into my garden, I have to cut the pot that it came in to take it out. I have never seen such an unhappy plant. What can I do to encourage it to open it's leaves so I can see the variegations that it is famous for.
I hope your plant recovers from its stress. I would plant as is without disturbing the roots, except perhaps to loosen potbound roots along the edges and bottom of the pot. Water well, and perhaps give a root hormone treatment such as superthrive. Good luck! |
| Trudy Sneve | Jun 08, 2009 | I just bought a Carol Mackie and havent planted it yet im looking at one of my gardens that has two huge ceders in it.Does the carol like acidic soal and i get sun 1 pm and on,is this a good choice? |
| Antonia | Jun 18, 2009 | I love my "Carol Mackie". I live in zone 5. I have moved it 3 times. I dig it up and bring it with me when I move. No problem. It is in mostly shade. Even after a few ice storms and losing it's leaves during winter, it has recovered nicely each spring and bloomed profusely. The soil is acidic and fairly moist all year. My favorite plant. |
| Terri Kirby | Jul 06, 2009 | My Carol Mackie keeps dying off branch by branch, all of a sudden I will notice all of the leaves on one branch are black, I have already lost one entire bush and the other two are acting the same way HELP! |
| JoeyJjay | Jul 08, 2009 | I have a 3 year old Carol Mackie in a fairly dry area near our home foundation. Last spring it had its first good blooming. After the bloom, entire branches started to die as they just seemed to dry off. It is getting worse as the summer progressed. Any advise? |
| CLong | Jul 14, 2009 | I am having the same issue as JoeyJjay. My Carol Mackie bloomed great this spring, it has been in the same spot for 3+years. However, now it is drying out and looks to be dying. Any thoughts? I have a hydrangea beside it that is also looking bad but nothing has been added to soil as of late. |
| Gardening Fool | Jul 28, 2009 | I think the Daphne everyone is referring to is actually the 'silver edge' variety rather than the all-green Carol Mackie. I have three huge plants that are not doing well at the moment, after extensive cutting back I have found damage to the crown (presumably from our severe winter here in New England - lots of snow and terrible ice storms). Sow bugs and a carpenter ant had taken up residence. I'm going to remove two of the plants completely. The sheer weight of the spreading branches may also have contributed to the splitting damage.
I believe 'Carol Mackie' is the white-edged variety, not all green. Whatever their name, it does seem that large plants are prone to winter damage. |
| Mayra | Aug 13, 2009 | Just last week, my Carol Mackie had nornal looking tips. I don't remember ever taking note of how dead it was beginning to appear. My Carol Mackie was given to me as a gift in 2004. Planted in zone 6 in full direct sun, I thought it was happy. I never moved it. It grew to be 3 feet tall x 4 feet wide. In light of our economy,I will replace her with a peach tree. |
| Kris | Aug 27, 2009 | I have 2 daphne adoras one planted on each side of my front stoop. They are about 5 years old and have been beautiful plants. One remains beautiful and healthy, but the other is dropping leaves like crazy. It started in the late winter at the front of the plant and then moved to the center and now is moving down the back. There are new leaf buds all over the branches, but they never mature. I had a chipmunk near the area and thought it was from root damage, but the chipmunk has been gone for about 5 months and the plant continues to die back. Any thoughts or suggestions? I have loved these plants at my front entrance.
I wish I had an answer, Kris - but I have no idea. Good luck getting your daphne back to health - and keeping your other one beautiful as well. |
| Bob | Oct 12, 2009 | I tried the link about pruning Daphne (ref: above - Darrel Trout) and there was nothing there. It seems his recommendation (treat it like Forsythia - taking out 1/3) is not what I found in another reference. There is says Daphne falls in the "Minimal-Spring Pruning" category - only (take out only dead, diseased, damaged etc in early spring.)
I have two Daphne - 2 years old - both very large (full 3 x 5). In the spring they had a very few dry branches and leaves. I left them alone - gently stripped the dead leaves. They flowered well - and grew to current size. But they are too large -- Can I give them a trim - cutting off the top 4 - 5 inches of select branches?
I enjoy your website.
I wish I could give you advice, but in this case, I'd just be guessing. If it were my daphne, I'd wait till spring to do this kind of pruning, even if it meant fewer flowers next year. |
| Bob | Oct 12, 2009 | To Kris (above)
I had one out of three Daphne do similar to yours. After it was 75% gone, I dug it out to replace with a new Carol Machie. The nursery where I bought the new one said bring in the old one and they would examine it. They cut the trunk at the crown - and it was totally rotted. Too much moisture they said. |
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Last modified:
May 17, 2008
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