The light would be fine. Much more critical would be the drainage. 'Carol Makie' needs impeccable drainage. How is that?

tj

i lost 2 until i moved to here... to pure sand ...

as noted.. drainage.. and near total dryness is key [yes.. i abuse fully established plants .. lol] .. or else the roots will rot ...

otherwise i have them in full blistering sun.. and in shade ... the ones in sun.. take some winter damage to the leaves .. and go leafless in my z5 .. but recover with vigor ...

[[i wish you would go to your members page .. and change the NONE next to your name.. to a city ... ]]

if your name indicates DC .. i am wondering about all that summer humidity ... and whether the soil will dry enough for the Daphne ...

do you see them around the area at all???

the only thing close to its fragrance .. THAT I HAVE .. is Mohawk viburnum .. but that is a very large plant.. and others claim others are better.. but i dont have them ...

ken

That is helpful! I think the drainage decides the issue for sure. In the backyard, the ground often stays damp towards the rear. But in front of the house, that foundation box drains out (it is sort of above grade). One hint--there has been some kind of holly growing there, which has done fine. Leggy, but robust. I just dislike it, and it wants to grow too big.

Ken, I am in DC. I checked my members page, and my zip code is in there--no separate space to enter a city, that I can see. Am I missing something? Anyway, the heat does dry the soil out when there is not much rain. Does Daphne need it to be dry all the time, or just sometimes? Actually, in really heavy rain, the gutter above sometimes overflows onto that spot. Is excess water a problem in and of itself?

I just noticed some landscaping by a big building in my neighborhood. I think there are a bunch of Daphne x B. there. No blossoms now, but suggestive little buds, and leaves that look like the pictures. It's on a slope.

thx for trying....

your soil seems too damp .. but its up to you.. if you want to roll the dice ... good luck

ken

I don't know about "near total dryness" :-) Nothing even remotely close to "near total dryness" in the PNW yet daphnes do very nicely here. Good drainage IS key, rather than soil moisture, but the burkwood and transatlantica hybrids tend to be quite a bit less fussy about perfect drainage than do other daphne species. If the soil drains quickly after a heavy rain (no excessive puddling) or if you can successfully grow bulbs in the area, I think you'll be fine.

good catch gal ...

i watered my 6 inch plants for two years.. until fully established ...

on pure mineral sand ... with about 4 inches of mulch pulled back a few inches ... they have lived for the last 3 years with little or no supplemental water.. but for extreme heat and drought in august ...

in my world that means near total dryness ... but that phrase says too much to be left w/o explanation ...

i am thinking the gardeners.. who goes out and soaks their perennials everyday or two.. high humus soil .. or clay .. etc ... that is the opposite of what i meant ... that is a lot of dampness.. and drainage or not.. a daphne MIGHT NOT LIKE IT ....

so... i agree i over stated my position .... in my haste to be terse ..

OP knows the variables now.. good luck

ken

ps: BTW.. i killed 3 before these 5 lived ...

I killed three before I found the perfect location, it grew to a beautiful specimen in the last 14 years, unfortunitly we had a very rough winter here in Michigan, the plant lost it's top 2/3's, so the dried-out branches I finally pruned off in June, the shrub now takes up a lot of real-estate for just the lower foot of foliage remains with a circumference of about 8+ feet⦠lots of empty branches in the middle.
Will this ever fill in again? Or do I dig it out and live with the memories of it's past glory? It's was a beautiful showpiece.

In my experience they don't last forever. They are rapid growing. I had one that split down the middle in heavy snow after 10 to 15 years, and another that lost 90% of its top growth last year. It had, however, lived for about 15 to 20 years. I think they are worth the effort, though, with that wonderful scent.