Garland flower

Garland flower: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low, trailing to ascending dwarf shrub, 20–30 cm tall and up to 60 cm wide.

Leaves

Narrow and lance-shaped, 1–2.5 cm, dark green with a blue-green underside; evergreen.

Flowers

Dense clusters of small, tubular pink flowers with four lobes at the shoot tips, in April–May.

Scent

Sweet, spicy and intense, especially on sunny days.

Fruit

Small yellowish-brown berries, rarely produced; they are poisonous.

Roots

Fine and sensitive: it hates being transplanted.

Flowering: April–May · Plants: March–April and September · Pruning: June

Why grow it?

• One of the most fragrant plants of spring: a few plants scent an entire patio.
• Evergreen: a fresh green cushion even in winter.
• Stays small and compact: ideal for a rock garden, low wall, trough or the front of a border.
• Tolerates chalk, sun and fairly dry soil, as long as its roots stay cool.
• Sometimes flowers a second time in late summer, though less freely.

Garland flower: where does it grow best?

• Sun or part shade: a sunny top and a cool root run are ideal, for example between stones.
• Free-draining, open soil: sand or loam, neutral to chalky. Heavy, wet clay does not suit it.
• Dry to normally moist, but never parched in summer and never wet in winter.
• A spot sheltered from cold, drying east winds prevents brown leaves in winter.
• Allow 50–60 cm per plant.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.3 m tall, 0.6 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Thyme: Also low and fragrant, and just as fond of sun and free-draining soil.
• Pinks: Grey cushions and scented flowers for the same sunny rock garden.
• Grape hyacinth: Blue spring flowers beside the pink ones.
• Moss phlox: A carpet of flowers in April–May in the same dry spot.

Garland flower: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September.

1. Plant in March–April or in September and choose the final spot straight away: moving it later rarely succeeds.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot and mix in coarse grit, fine gravel and a little leaf mould.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot, no deeper, and keep the root ball as intact as possible.
4. Leave 50–60 cm between plants.
5. Water in well and water during dry spells in the first summer.
6. Lay flat stones or a layer of gravel around the base: this keeps the roots cool and the stem dry.

Care

Watering

After the first year, only during long dry spells, in the morning at the base.

Feeding

Little needed: a thin layer of leaf mould or a little organic fertiliser in March.

Mulching

Gravel or stones rather than bark: they keep the roots cool without leaving the stem damp.

Spent flowers

You can leave them; after flowering you may lightly trim the plant into shape.

Moving

Best avoided: the roots recover poorly and the plant often dies.

Tip: Plant it between a few large stones in the rock garden: the stones keep the roots cool and moist while the shoots bask in the sun. Choose the right spot from the start, because it will not tolerate being moved.

Garland flower: when to prune it?

Pruning months: June.

When: Hardly needed. To keep it in shape, trim lightly straight after flowering, in June.

How:

• Shorten overlong shoots to just above a leaf.
• Remove dead or brown shoots back to healthy wood.
• Never cut hard into old, bare wood: it rarely regrows from there.
• Wear gloves: the sap can irritate the skin.

Caution: Do not prune in autumn or winter: you would remove next spring’s flower buds.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Layering

The easiest method: in spring, peg a trailing shoot into the soil and cover it with sandy soil. After a year it has rooted; sever it and move it carefully with a good root ball.

Semi-ripe cuttings

In July–August, take 5–8 cm cuttings and root them in a mix of sand and cutting compost under plastic. They root slowly and not always.

Garland flower: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Hardy to about −25 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• A blanket of snow protects it well; in hard frost without snow and with a cold wind the leaves may turn brown. Lay a few conifer branches over the plant.
• In a trough or pot: make sure drainage is good and stand the pot against a wall in winter, out of the rain.

Diseases and pests

• Sudden death: Occasionally a plant collapses within a few weeks for no obvious reason. Root rot from wet soil is usually the cause. Plant in free-draining soil and avoid standing water.
• Virus: Yellow blotches or mosaic patterns on the leaves and weak growth. There is no cure: remove badly affected plants.
• Aphids: On young shoots in spring. Hose them off or leave them to the ladybirds.
• Brown leaves: Caused by drying out in summer or by cold, drying wind in winter. Water in dry spells and choose a sheltered spot.

Through the year

• January: Dormant. In hard frost without snow, cover with conifer branches.
• March: Plant. Apply a thin layer of leaf mould.
• April: Strongly scented flowers. Plant. Layer shoots.
• May: Flowering. Watch for aphids.
• June: Trim lightly into shape after flowering.
• July: Take semi-ripe cuttings. Water during long dry spells.
• August: Water during long dry spells. Sometimes a second flush of flowers.
• September: Plant. Sever well-rooted layers from last year.
• November: Top up the gravel around the base. Remove fallen leaves from the plant.
• December: Dormant.

Edible and useful

Not edible. Daphnes are highly poisonous in all their parts; the red or black berries tempt children, and just a few berries can cause serious poisoning. The sap irritates the skin: wear gloves when pruning. Do not plant them where small children play. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Did you know?

• The genus is named after the nymph Daphne of Greek mythology, who was turned into a laurel; daphne is the Greek word for laurel.
• The little flowers have no true petals: what you see is a coloured calyx tube with four lobes.
• In the wild it grows on stony, often chalky slopes and in dry grassland; it is protected in several European countries.