Daphne odora Marianni Rogbret

The Daphne odora Marianni Rogbret is a very attractive variety of fragrant daphne that is very difficult to resist: it offers nicely rounded vegetation, evergreen foliage bordered with light yellow on a green background, and a flowering in two shades of pink that fills the whole area of the garden with perfume or the terrace from the month of February. It is a relatively hardy plant, valuable for bringing colour to the partially shaded areas of the garden or rockery in winter. Provide it with well-drained, dry soil in summer, poor, neutral to acidic and dappled sun.

The Daphne odora, also known as 'Winter Daphne', is a bush from the family of Thymelaeaceae originating from Asia, mainly China and Japan. It is a protected species in Europe. Although this very beautiful plant is sensitive to frost, it has generated many cultivars that are much more cold-resistant, easier to grow, and whose ornamental qualities are multiplied. Its evergreen foliage in winter is ornamental all year round.

The fragrant daphne 'Marianni Rogbret' is a beautiful improvement of the 'Aureomarginata' form, with much more marked foliage variegation and foliage that remains longer in winter. The bush has fairly slow growth and a bushy, compact, rounded habit. At maturity, it will reach approximately 1.30 m (4 ft 4 in) in all directions. Its upright 'candelabra' branches are composed of bare and smooth, grey lower branches and upright branches bearing the evergreen foliage. The entire leaves are oblong in shape, thick, and measure from 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3.1 in) in length. Their base colour is grey-green, with a perfectly regular light yellow border. Flowering takes place from February to April, or from January to March depending on the climate. The small waxy flowers are grouped in bouquets at the end of the branches. Each one, borne from a bud of a purple pink, blooms into a tubular corolla with 4 petals of a tender pink. Their fragrance is pleasant and capable of perfuming the garden within a radius of 20 m (65 ft 7 in)! This fragrance, complex, both sweet and rustic, resembles carnation, jasmine, hyacinth, enhanced with a spicy touch of cloves and lemon.

Whether in the ground or in a container, position the Daphne Marianni Rogbret not far from a walkway, in shade or partial shade, in acidic soil, rich in humus that stays moist. This shrub does not tolerate heatwaves, but is fine with dry soils in summer. Perfect for a partially shaded rockery, it blends well in ericaceous beds when planted with Kalmia, dwarf Rhododendrons, Japanese maples, camellias. You can also pair it with heathers as well as winter aconite, daffodils or crocuses.

The Daphne odora Marianni Rogbret received the silver medal at Plantarium 2008 as well as the gold medal at Innovert 2009.