I love the smell of Daphne, especially when the ground is still wet from the early morning dew.
The scent reminds me of a sweet perfume that a great aunt (pronunciation: /ant/) with the name Aunt Bea or Aunt Willa Mae wears while in her finest church hat and white gloves on her way to the latest social gathering of the Women’s League.
I have two plants growing under a window in my front yard, my mama has about six. You can say that we are addicted to its fragrance. Now, I must give you this caveat if you plan to grow these beauties. There are several different varieties of daphne. I'm not quite sure of the type that I own. When I bought them, I wasn't even sure of the color. The owner of the nursery, Mr. Micky, gave me the odds.
"Well, they could be pink or white. I ain't quite sure." I took my chances and hoped for pink. I was very fortunate in the outcome that both were indeed pink.
However I do know, these plants can be a bit temperamental or I just don't have the luck of growing them. (Since planting them five years ago, I've replaced one plant.) Mine are an early season bloomer from late February to early March. They do require some shade, they do need space and they are slow growing but well worth the effort.
Every morning when I leave for the daily grind of work, I take a deep breath, immediately sneeze, say "hello world what do you have for me today."
Living in the south we don’t have harsh winters with six feet of snow and torrential ice storms; however, a girl who’s accustomed to 90 degrees in the shade, winters are cold enough to keep you inside praying for warmth.
I think of it as the good Lord’s way of saying spring is on its way.
Hallelujah!
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