Daphne 'Eternal Fragrance'
Daphne x transatlantica 'Blafra' (Eternal Fragrance) ·
A neat, rounded, slow-growing shrub with small leaves and clusters of intensely scented, blush-white flowers from spring until autumn.
- Size
- 2½ ft tall, 3 ft wide
- Zones
- 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Early May to early October
- Pets
- Toxic (severe)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around daphne 'Eternal Fragrance'
The planner designed this bed around daphne 'Eternal Fragrance' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 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 'Eternal Fragrance' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Daphne 'Eternal Fragrance' × 1, white
- 2 Cottage pinks × 15, pink
- 3 Robin's plantain 'Lynnhaven Carpet' × 8, lavender
- 4 Northern sea oats × 3, tan
- 5 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 3, purple
- 6 Palm sedge × 3, green leaves
- 7 Schubert's allium × 2, pink
- 8 Hyacinth 'Delft Blue' × 8, blue
Why this plant
- The only dense clusters. The others are daisies, airy sprays, globes and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only white. White sits between stronger colours and calms them.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do northern sea oats and palm sedge.
Why here
- At the back, and only just seen. At 2½ ft it is about the height of palm sedge (2½ ft) in front of it.
- A step in the back row. Next to Tatarian aster 'Jindai' (4 ft) and northern sea oats (3½ 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 23 weeks. From early May to early October.
- Fills a gap. For four of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 8 groups (75%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The flowers stay on the cool side of the palette: pink, lavender, purple, blue, white and tan. The longest in flower is daphne 'Eternal Fragrance': 23 weeks, from early May to early October.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Daphne 'Eternal Fragrance' is highly poisonous to people, dogs, cats and horses. Northern sea oats spreads aggressively.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where daphne 'Eternal Fragrance' goes in a border
At 2½ ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium (24 in to 2½ ft).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
It flowers on new growth, so it keeps going for six months, where other daphnes stop after three weeks. It is also the easiest daphne to keep alive. Plant it by a door.
- Scent beside a door or seat
- A long-flowering small shrub
- Containers
What to plant with daphne 'Eternal Fragrance'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- English lavender 'Hidcote': in flower together for six weeks, from late June; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': in flower together for 18 weeks, from early June; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Coral bells: its burgundy leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (12 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about daphne 'Eternal Fragrance'
Does daphne 'Eternal Fragrance' need sun or shade?
Daphne 'Eternal Fragrance' 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 'Eternal Fragrance' grow in?
USDA zones 6 to 9. It is hardy to zone 6, which means it survives winter nights down to about 0 °F (−18 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does daphne 'Eternal Fragrance' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early May to early October. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 6 | Late April to early October |
|---|---|
| Zone 7 | Mid April to early October |
| Zone 8 | Mid April to early October |
| Zone 9 | Early April to early October |
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 'Eternal Fragrance' be planted?
2½ ft (75 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3 ft (90 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 2½ ft (75 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many daphne 'Eternal Fragrance' plants do I need?
At 2½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 2 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 5 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 6 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is daphne 'Eternal Fragrance' 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.
Is there a pet-safe plant like daphne 'Eternal Fragrance'?
These come closest to doing what daphne 'Eternal Fragrance' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Shrubby cinquefoil 'Abbotswood': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 6 in wider, flowers early June to mid September.
- Abelia 'Rose Creek': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 6 in taller, 6 in wider.
- Butterfly bush 'Blue Chip': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers early July to early October, lavender, not white.
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 'Eternal Fragrance'?
Daphne 'Eternal Fragrance' is over by early October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Saffron crocus: from early October to early November, 5 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink': from late September to early November, 2½ ft tall.
- Japanese onion 'Ozawa': from early October to early November, 10 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does daphne 'Eternal Fragrance' look like in winter?
Daphne 'Eternal Fragrance' 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 'Carol Mackie' Daphne x burkwoodii 'Carol Mackie'
- Winter daphne Daphne odora
In these guides
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
- Long-flowering plants: 12 weeks or more
Zone guides: Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
In flower in: May · June · July · August · September · October
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 2½ ft (75 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
- Plant
- 2½ ft (75 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium (24 in to 2½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Early May to early October; dense clusters; white, pink
- Leaves
- Fine texture, semi-evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. 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.