While tidying the woodland a few days ago, getting it ready for the snowdrop season, I saw a little sapling of only about 12 inches tall, growing at the side of the path next to some cyclamen
Unknown seedling.
.
Daphne Jaqueline Postill
Daphne Jaqueline Postill, in the woodland, hasn’t been looking very happy for a couple of years now, the leaves are sparse and looking very yellow, she will have to come out.
Cutting of D. Jaqueline Postill.
A few cuttings were taken two years ago, two of which have survived. They took so long to root, I thought they were never going to succeed, but I think this is the year when they can be released into the woodland as replacements.
Daphne boluha.
I also have a shrub of the species Daphne boluha in the woodland which is planted about 15 ft away from Jaqueline.
Soon the woodland will be filled with a wonderful perfume.
I’m wondering if the little seedling is the result of the bees busily working the flowers and then maybe a seed has been dropped by the birds at the edge of the path, I really do hope it is a Daphne seedling!
Flower bud on the seedling.
I’ve read that they don’t like being transplanted but I’m afraid that the seedling is in the wrong place at the edge of the path, it will grow too wide and block the way unfortunately. I’ll have to be very careful when digging it up after it has finished flowering, yes it has a flower cluster almost opening, even though it is only 12 inches tall!
What a lovely New Year’s present courtesy of Mother Nature!
Lucky you! We have lots of problems with various species Daphne here because of our heavy red clay, since they are so particular about drainage. We do very well, however, with a relative–Edgeworthia chrysanthia. Do you grow Edgeworthia too?
A friend had a Daphne Jaqueline Postill that suddenly died, that is what made me take the cuttings of mine, just as well as it was the following year that she started to look poorly! I don’t have an Edgeworthia as yet, but have looked at them and wondered how it would do in the woodland, maybe in one of the sunnier spots?
How wonderful Pauline; I love presents like that! I’ve never lived anywhere that I have been able to grow Daphne but have always sought them out if visiting a garden in winter. I do hope you’ll be able to move it successfully.
It was a wonderful surprise Christina, when I found it. I think the seedling might have a spell in a pot first so that I can keep an eye on it while it settles down and makes new roots. The flowers are pretty in themselves, but the perfume is divine!
How exciting Pauline, I do hope your new seedling is a daphne. I am sure you will manage to dig it up to move it to a more suitable spot. I love it when Mother Nature steps in and produces the unexpected. Lovely snowdrop photo!
The snowdrops in the header are G. Lapwing and the photo was taken last year. The flower stalks are up now in the woodland but it will be a couple of weeks before the flowers open, glad you like it!
Each day I’m more convinced that the seedling is a Daphne, Mother Nature is wonderful and so generous!
I hope the mystery seedling is a Daphne, and that all your young Daphnes grow and thrive!
I’m hoping it is a Daphne too Jason, that will mean lots more perfume in the woodland! I think the cuttings can stay in the greenhouse for a while longer, at least until the weather warms up a bit.
Yes, that looks like a daphne seedling to me! It must be happy to be flowering already. I hope it will prosper in its new location. Since it is still quite small, hopefully transplanting won’t be too hard on it. However, I have on occasion altered the course of a path to accommodate a shrub I did not want to transplant. Is that a possibility?
I’m afraid moving the path isn’t an option here Deb, I did that once when 2 hostas had grown so large and didn’t want to disturb them, the path was moved instead. In this case the direction of the path is determined by the huge ancient trees that we have, I would have to move rhododendrons, hellebores, narcissus and a lot of my snowdrops!
Congratulations on your success with getting a cutting going from Jacqueline, they are very difficult to strike. Daphnes do suffer from sudden death so it is great to have a replacement. I have quite a few seedlings that look like this appearing in my garden, but they are always of the wild Daphne laureola.
I heard from a nurserywoman that Jaqueline was difficult to strike cuttings from, hence the plant being so expensive to buy. I must have just been lucky! I don’t mind which seedling my new one is, as long as it has the wonderful Daphne perfume!
Chance seedlings are so exiting. I’ve been told to take cuttings of the couple of mature ones we inherited here, so far it seem they are quite hard to establish but so worth the effort. Are a lot of the most sort after forms grafted? You can see why they are choice (and expensive) shrubs.
My cuttings took such a long time before they rooted Kate, I was almost giving up on them. I read somewhere that cuttings of the plants we buy were all done by one man, who has now retired, hence the price of the plants now. Maybe your idea of grafting would be the answer to the problem.
What a nice surprise, and even better that it already has its first flower bud!
Here most of the seedlings are interesting yet usually turn out to be weeds… or common or invasive shrubs. I have to admit though, I’ve allowed a nasty, overly thorny hawthorn to keep growing just because it was a mystery seedling. Now I might as well keep it a few more years 🙂
I’ll know better what the seedling is once the flowers are open Frank, I hope it isn’t a weed after all the fuss I’ve made! We have plenty of other seedling shrubs here, some are welcome, others I’m gradually pulling out, should have done it years ago!
Here’s to your seedling being a Daphne….how exciting! I’m glad you took cuttings, what hindsight!xxx
Yes Dina, I’m hoping so too! I took the cuttings when a friend told me a couple of years ago that her Daphne suddenly died, thinking I would be able to give her one, thank goodness I did because the following year mine started to look poorly. The cuttings took so long to strike, I thought they would never put down roots, but at last I can give my friend one of them.
Oh well done on your Jacqueline Postill cuttings – I notice they are now available to buy again but at considerable expense and I have decided to do without! Good to have unexpected seedlings that we can welcome too 🙂
Thank you Cathy, when I took the cuttings I had no idea that they had a reputation for not striking from cuttings, I was just so lucky that 2 survived! One has already gone to my friend who lost hers a couple of years ago and warned me that my plant might suddenly die. As long as the seedling has the same wonderful perfume, I don’t mind which variety it is.
A true gift from Mother Nature! DOnt you love the daphnes. I have one just itching to bloom, but we dipped to freezing two nights in a row. Hopefully that is all past.
I love all the Daphnes and their perfume Jayne, they perfume the air around them. We have sub zero temperatures forecast for the rest of this week, so I think I will have to wait a little longer for the flowers to open, hope your temperatures rise a little for you.
I thought it might be a rhody, but it’s probably a daphne. Happy new year to you, dear Pauline. May we both enjoy many more surprises from MN in the year to come.
No, not a rhody Catmint, the flower buds are held in the wrong position for that and the leaf shape not quite right. I do like it when MN gives unexpected gifts! Happy New Year to you and Happy Gardening!
Impressive success with your daphne cuttings! Congratulations on the daphne seedling. That makes you a plant grandma.
Thank you Peter, I’m beginning to feel rather pleased with myself where the cuttings are concerned. I’m very happy to be a plant grandma but this means I have lots of little relatives all over the garden!
That is very impressive Pauline, they are notoriously hard to take cuttings of and that will be fantastic if that is a seedling too. Howe lovely. Yes a great New Year gift.
Yes, I believe the cuttings are supposed to be difficult Annie, it must have been beginners luck or ignorance was bliss!