Daphne 'Carol Mackie'
Daphne x burkwoodii 'Carol Mackie' · Thymelaeceae
A neat dome of small leaves, each finely edged in cream, covered in late spring with clusters of pale pink flowers whose perfume fills the garden.
- Size
- 3½ ft tall, 4 ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 7
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Early May to late May
- Pets
- Toxic (severe)
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around daphne 'Carol Mackie'
The planner designed this bed around daphne 'Carol Mackie' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why daphne 'Carol Mackie' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Daphne 'Carol Mackie' × 1, pink
- 2 Leadwort × 14, blue
- 3 Bloody cranesbill × 8, white
- 4 Sneezeweed × 4, yellow
- 5 Bee balm 'Jacob Cline' × 3, red
- 6 Little bluestem × 3, blue-green leaves
- 7 Bergenia 'Bressingham White' × 3, white
- 8 Hardy gladiolus × 5, pink
- 9 Easter lily × 5, white
- 10 Daffodil × 12, yellow
Why this plant
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does little bluestem.
Why here
- At the back, and only just seen. At 3½ ft it is about the height of little bluestem (3 ft) in front of it.
- A step in the back row. Next to hardy gladiolus (2½ ft) and sneezeweed (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From early May to late May.
- Fills a gap. For one of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 8 of the 8 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The most in flower at one time is 3 kinds, in early May. Neither end outweighs the other: the visual weight is split 50 to 50, left to right.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where daphne 'Carol Mackie' goes in a border
At 3½ ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
Among the most fragrant of all shrubs. Daphnes are known for dying suddenly; give it perfect drainage, never move it, and enjoy it while it lasts.
- Fragrance beside a door or path
- A refined specimen
- Variegated foliage all season
What to plant with daphne 'Carol Mackie'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Coral bells: its burgundy leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (12 in) to stand in front of it.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': takes over when it finishes, flowering from early June; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Lady's mantle: low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about daphne 'Carol Mackie'
Does daphne 'Carol Mackie' need sun or shade?
Daphne 'Carol Mackie' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does daphne 'Carol Mackie' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 7. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does daphne 'Carol Mackie' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early May to late May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Mid May to early June |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Early May to late May |
| Zone 6 | Early May to late May |
| Zone 7 | Late April to mid May |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should daphne 'Carol Mackie' be planted?
3½ ft (100 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 4 ft (120 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3½ ft (100 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many daphne 'Carol Mackie' plants do I need?
At 3½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 3 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, with clear ground around it: a feature plant is seen as an object, and a group of them is a thicket.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is daphne 'Carol Mackie' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: severe toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts, especially the berries, are highly poisonous if eaten. The sap can irritate skin.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like daphne 'Carol Mackie'?
These come closest to doing what daphne 'Carol Mackie' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Threadleaf false cypress 'Golden Mop': the same job in a bed and the same size; grown for its leaves, not its flowers, keeps its leaves in winter.
- Ninebark 'Little Devil': the same size and the same colour; an anchor, not a specimen, flowers late May to late June.
- Dwarf Japanese cedar: the same job in a bed; 8 in taller, grown for its leaves, not its flowers.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after daphne 'Carol Mackie'?
Daphne 'Carol Mackie' is over by late May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': from early June to early October, 18 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Daylily: from late June to early August, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does daphne 'Carol Mackie' look like in winter?
Daphne 'Carol Mackie' holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
More Daphne
- Daphne 'Eternal Fragrance' Daphne x transatlantica 'Blafra' (Eternal Fragrance)
- Winter daphne Daphne odora
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7
In flower in: May
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 3½ ft (100 cm) tall, 4 ft (120 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3½ ft (100 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early May to late May; dense clusters; pink
- Leaves
- Fine texture, semi-evergreen; variegated
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 7
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Thymelaeceae
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.