Daphne transatlantica Bella Rose

Daphne x transatlantica Bella Rose is a true gem for the garden, combining many attractive features. Its beautiful, dark green, evergreen foliage is ornamental in every season and perfectly showcases its flowering. From spring to autumn, clusters of small, deep pink flowers are renewed, forming a superb contrast against the dark vegetation. The flowers emit a delightful fragrance with notes of Jasmine. This superb bush prefers acidic, humus-bearing, moist and well-drained soils and a sunny, but not scorching, position or partial shade. Its compact size allows it to be grown just as well in a pot, so you can enjoy its captivating scent on a terrace.

Daphne is a genus of the relatively little-known Thymelaeaceae family, whose 44 genera are poorly represented in our gardens, except for Edgeworthia, a very interesting shrub for its colourful late-winter flowering. The Daphne genus is more common, occurring in nature as several dozen species, represented in Asia, North Africa and Europe, notably with Daphne cneorum found in the Alps.
Daphne x transatlantica is an ornamental shrub obtained by hybridisation between two distinct species: Daphne caucasica, with white flowering and deciduous foliage, native to the Caucasus, and D. collina, with evergreen foliage and pink flowers, found on the rocky hillsides and scrub vegetation of the Neapolitan region. This hybrid is well-suited to mountainous areas and tolerates cold well, at least down to -20°C. Its growth is slow, and it naturally retains a beautiful shape, more or less spherical, but with irregular contours, and a very natural appearance, without requiring pruning. Bella Rose is a horticultural variety resulting from a mutation of 'Summer Ice', another hybrid Daphne, but with white flowers. Daphne Bella Rose develops slowly to form a clump approximately 80 cm in all directions when mature. The shoots are clothed in small, narrow and elongated leaves, about 4 cm long by 1 cm wide. Medium green when they emerge, they turn to a darker green later, and their surface is satiny. They are evergreen in mild climates and semi-evergreen in harsh climates. From April, or in May depending on the region, corymbs of a dozen or more small flowers develop mainly at the ends of the shoots. The floral corollas are tubular at the base and open into 2 cm wide trumpets, consisting of 4 pointed petals that give them the appearance of little stars. They are an intense, very decorative pink; they diffuse a powerful fragrance reminiscent of certain Jasmines. The flowering has a slight pause in midsummer before resuming until September or October, thus spanning almost the entire growing season.

Though very appealing, Daphne x transatlantica 'Bella Rose' is still relatively demanding regarding its growing conditions and will suit more experienced enthusiasts. It dislikes excessive sun as well as atmospheric drought and soil dryness, and it cannot tolerate limestone. Its preference is for acidic to neutral, humus-bearing soils, capable of retaining sufficient moisture in summer while being well-draining. Given these very specific conditions, it will, in some cases, be necessary to grow it in a pot, using ericaceous substrate mixed with potting compost. Plant it near a window or terrace to enjoy its delicious fragrance, with acid-loving Heathers. Place it in a bed of ericaceous plants, like Enkianthus with its charming bell-shaped flowers, which you can place in the background. Kalmias or mountain laurels, with their astonishing flowers that have the charm of delicate porcelain, will also be good companions.