Try slow growers Enkianthus - either perulatus or companulatus if your soil is sufficiently acidic.

I had a dying Carol Mackie a few years back, and took cuttings before it was kaput. Easy...in a small pots of perlite with root tone dusted on the stem, cut off all leaves save 2 or 3, put in bright shade in a clear container, such as a fish tank with a plastic lid on top to keep out the weather, for a few weeks in spring, until they adhere with gentle tugging.

A dozen cuttings all rooted and I gave away all but one which is now 3 feet tall in a bed of vinca. I know ultimately it can go at anytime, but i'll take cuttings again if possible, and do it again.

Like many other shrubs daphnes are prone to water molds that rot the roots.

Yeah, Daphne likes well drained soils. The roots can go pretty deep for a small plant and if they lay on clay in a wet season they can rot. One here died after a very wet summer. 3 hurricanes dumped rain on this part of PA one month. It had been in the ground 2 years but wilted like a flower on a hot day. Other things that died that year were other ill-sited plants like Enkianthus, Chionanthus and the European larch (Larix).

http://www.seidelbast.net/cultivation.html

In my world Daphnes die overnight with no apparent reason. But sometimes they last quite a few years. I plant them and enjoy them but do not expect them to be lifelong attachments. For that I plant trees. If you happen to run across a Daphne called 'Briggs Moonlight' be prepared to fall in love, but this one ditched me flat in a really short time. I mourned, but recovered.
S

The soil is a bit clayey deep down, but I mixed in a good plant soil before planting.

===>> never amend a planting hole ...

and review the link for how to plant in clay to aid with drainage issues .... the short story is.. plant high .. the plant.. not you ..

i will go further than what they said above.. and say they abhor wet feet ... and clay is their prime nemesis ... and especially wet feet in winter .. cold wet feet..

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: study it all.. but find the clay soil part

Ultimately, daphnes are likened to temporary shrubs, or short lived woody perennial. I garden for fragrance, after wildlife - and wouldn't be without them.

Some other dwarf plants - Viburnum carlesii 'Compactum',
Clethra alnifolia 'Hummingbird' or 'Sixteen Candles', Fothergilla gardenii, Thuja occidentalis âÂÂRheingoldâ -

The no apparent reason is water molds.

never forget...

you arent a true green thumb gardener.. until you have killed every plant.. 3 times.. lol ...

bboy.. you have said the same thing twice.. how do you avoid water molds... thru high planting or increased drainage.. or both??? or what??

ken

Hot + wet = rot.

The reason that a lot of CA natives that won't stand summer water will grow just fine in England (e.g. Fremontodendron, Ceanothus) although it rains all summer there. Reason? Their summers are cool. It is the oddest thing to be a Californian and go into garden after garden over there and see Fremontodendron interplanted with Clematis and roses...

the one i lost.. long .. long ago ... at a different house...

IF.. big if there ... i recall ... it was cold and wet in highly organic MI peat soil in spring ...

presuming of course.. it wasnt dead before winter.. lol .. who knows.. maybe summer killed it.. and being evergreen.. i didnt know it was dead until spring ...

i do remember asking some hardcore local gardeners.. if it was worth trying again ... and their caveat was.. NO WET FEET ...

they are complete weeds at this house.. cold Z5 MI .... which means hot in summer... in full drainage mineral sand .... and really cold in winter with howling winds .... which always brings me back ot my sand ....

someone may also have suggested.. in MI .. repeated thaw and freeze cycles of the organic soil in spring ... also ...

all suggestions lead to root rots.. for sure ...

ken

Wow!!! Thanks for all the great advice. I get it! NO WET FEET!

I am going to try growing another shrub there. Looking for recommendations:
- Has to be able to stand "wet feet"
- Full sun afternoon
- Zone 7 (suburban MD)
- Deer resistant! (they're like rodents around here ...)

Sam, what is the one the right?

'Red Sprite' - 3-4' high, is a dwarf version of Ilex verticillata. On the right looks close or is the larger version, one of which is 'Winter Red' - 6 - 8' high growing. You need a male plant in the vicinity to pollinate and get berries on these females.
Clethra alnifolia 'Hummingbird' or 'Sixteen Candles', Itea virginica 'Little Henry' are water tolerant plants

deer is a tough one jamshed ... small shrubs could use protection around them

Man, those are some nice berries! Ilex is another one I can't grow due to its demanding natural for acidic soils.

Sara mentioned Briggs Moonlight....that one is a beauty. I have one struggling but we'll see. There is no way around these plants needing well drained soils but they also have disease issues. Check out Daphne 'Moonlight SonataâÂÂ, an improved sport of Briggs Moonlight.

Have you tried whaas or are you being timid from the threat of failure? My soil ph is 7 and there are ilex decidua everywhere here and the youpon holly I've planted has done very well, too

This post was edited by j0nd03 on Mon, Jan 6, 14 at 9:07