Lilac Daphne

Lilac Daphne
Daphne genkwa ‘Bethpage’
(DAF-nee)
Thymelaeaceae

When Daphne is on it is on in a big way. It can be a fussy plant to grow but if you give it the right conditions it can do nicely. They do seem to be prone to unexpected dying. By now I have gotten used to that and always seem to end up buying a few more just to have some around. It is an elegant and classy plant that has one of my favorite fragrances in the garden.

It is funny that a plant that smells so good could be poisonous but that is the case with Daphne. There must be some medicinal purpose as Daphne genkwa appears as yuán hua on the List of 50 Fundamental Herbs of Chinese Herbology.
Wikipedia Link


This specimen was growing out on Long Island and is named after the hamlet of Bethpage, New York. It was a beautiful little plant.