Daphne 'Perfume Princess' ™ is a unique and enchanting Daphne that should be on everyone’s list of ‘must have’ Daphnes. It’s the earliest and longest flowering of all Daphnes, with one of the sweetest fragrances, and is prized for its profusion of large blush pink (softly fading to white) sweet perfumed flowers. This is not just any ordinary Daphne! Daphne Perfume Princess™ offers a progression of large blooms along the stem making it a perfect choice to bring cuttings indoors and enjoy the alluringly sweet perfume. It is an excellent performer with upright and slightly spreading attractive evergreen foliage. Positioned in the garden near a window, doorway or path, the sweet scent will add fragrance to your home and garden. Daphne 'Perfume Princess' ™ flowers from winter to late spring and is perfect for containers and in the garden.
Key Features
- Masses of large flowers open blush pink and fade to white
- Highly perfumed - with soft citrus undertones
- Long flowering season
- Intense clusters of blooms that can also bloom down the stems
- Considerably more adaptable to difficult conditions than many other daphnes and blooming shrubs. It tolerates a broader range of temperatures - both cold and hot - and bounces back quickly from a hard cut-back when needed, and it establishes itself in new surroundings with a minimum of fuss
Suggested Uses
- Pots or gardens
- Ornamental specimen
- Floral arrangements
Growth Habit
Upright and slightly spreading growing to 150cm x 100cm
Flowering Attributes
Masses of blush pink/white florets, which are offset by deeper pink buds, are clustered together in large groups of up to 2.5 inches across. Flowers are up to 4x the size of traditional Daphne blooms. These clusters can be repeated up to 10 times along the stems of established plants (2-3 years old). Flowering mid winter to spring but is known to also spot flower in summer as well
Fragrance
Richly fragrant with soft citrus undertones. Stunning!
Spacing
1.5ft spacing.
Hardiness
RHS Rating H5 (see list here)
Pruning/Pinching
Not required, however can trim to shape as required after flowering has finished in late spring
Light Needs
Unlike most other Daphne, Perfume Princess™ can tolerate full sun
Soil Needs
Performs well in a range of soil types, but prefers slightly acidic soils; avoid very heavy water logged conditions. When growing in pots, use a pot with a minimum of 18 inches in width and use a good quality potting mix.
Water Needs
Light to moderate, infrequent watering is best
Fertilizer
Slow release fertilizer after flowering.
Disease Tolerance
Good.
Pest Issues
Aphids and scale.
Special Care
Performs best with good drainage, so plant in slightly elevated soil beds if planting in the garden. If you have heavy clay soils, adding some compost or bark material to the soil prior to planting will help with the drainage.