Zuiko Nishiki Winter Daphne

Daphne odora ‘Zuiko Nishiki’

Other Common Names: Winter Daphne

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 7a-9b Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Evergreen Flowering Shrub

Height at Maturity: 3-4′

Width at Maturity: 3-4′

Spacing: 3′ for solid hedges; 7′ for space between plants

Growth Habit / Form: Dense, Mounding, Rounded

Growth Rate: Slow to Moderate

Flower Color: Purple buds, White flowers

Flower Size: Medium, 1.5″ cluster

Flowering Period: Late Winter thru Early Spring

Flower Type: Cluster

Fragrant Flowers: Yes – highly fragrant!

Foliage Color: Glossy Dark Green

Fragrant Foliage: No

Sun Needs: Shade or Mostly Shade, Morning Sun with Afternoon Shade, Filtered All Day Sun or Dappled Shade

Water Needs: Low when established

Soil Type: Clay (Amended), Loam, Sand, Silt

Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well Drained Lightly Moist

Soil pH: 6.0 – 7.0 (Moderately Acid to Neutral)

Maintenance / Care: Very Low

Attracts: Visual Attention

Resistances: Deer – more info, Disease, Drought, Dry Soil, Heat, Heavy Shade, Insect

Description

Winter Daphne is a superstar of an evergreen flowering shrub and ‘Zuiko Nishiki’ is a truly spectacular semi-dwarf selection that sports the closest to purple buds we’ve seen on any other variety. The bright purple buds open to highly fragrant crystalline white blooms. In our gardens, Winter Daphne usually begins blooming sometime in January or February (depending on climate) and continues through March or April.

Special Note: ‘Zuiko Nishiki’ is a Japanese selection of Daphne odora we don’t have a lot of experience with but hear from other professionals that it has a more vigorous nature and may also be more cold hardy than the species.

Landscape & Garden Uses

Growing in a dense, rounded mound to about 3 to 4 feet tall and equally as wide, the Zuiko Nishiki Winter Daphne is ideal for use as a specimen, in groupings, or as a natural evergreen hedge in shady landscape borders and home foundation plantings. In our gardens, we have several planted under the canopies of large shade trees where they’ve performed very well over many years. Make sure to plant this fragrant wonder near windows, patios, decks, porches and other outdoor living spaces where the heavenly perfume can be enjoyed from close up. A fine addition to Asian gardens, fragrance gardens, woodland gardens, cottage gardens, and Xeriscape gardens (low water needs).

Suggested Spacing: 3 feet apart for solid hedges; 7 feet or or more apart for space between plants

Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7a, where this Winter Daphne is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring. That said, it’s not the easiest plant to grow in containers, much preferring growing in the ground. But hey, with tender loving care it can be done!

Growing Preferences

Despite the remarkable variety of gardening myths about its requirements, Winter Daphne is very hardy and easy to grow. Know that it must have a well-drained soil and shade or part shade. No direct afternoon sun. Winter Daphne thrives in deep shade under the canopies of large shade trees and in other areas where not many other evergreen shrubs will grow. That said, plants will tolerate the morning sun. These plants are exceptionally drought tolerant when established. We rarely water the plants growing in our gardens. In the extremely warmer climates of the deeper southern areas an occasional deep soaking will be appreciated during an extended summer drought.

Note: For helpful advice provided by our experts, click on the Planting & Care tab above on desktops or below on mobile phones.

Plant Long & Prosper!

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Good size plant. Happy with the purchase. Thanks!———————————-Thanks for the kind words! We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂

Plants arrived in excellent condition——————————————-We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂

I just wanted to let you know that your daphne has just arrived in absolutely beautiful condition. 3 pictures attached.
I will keep this beautiful plant indoor until it gets warmer and plant it in ground.
I am assuming that this daphne is male since female daphnes rarely get on the market.
I named him Jin because we call daphne “Jin Cho Ghe” in Japanese.————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

The Daphne arrived in good shape and we have planted it. Thank you!——————————We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂

The daphne and paper bush arrived very healthy and are happily settling-in into the backyard making friends with the chipmunks, squirrels. and birds.Thanks!——————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you and the critters enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

The flowers on this plant smell heavenly! All of the plants I ordered, including this one, arrived carefully packaged and in perfect condition. I ordered both winter and summer daphne, in hopes that I will eventually be able to enjoy the flowers year round.—————————————-Hi Rhea, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Zuiko Nishiki Winter Daphne. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words! 🙂
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens

Healthy appearing, well-packed and large 2 gallon Daphnes.—————————WBG Reply: Hi John, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Zuiko Nishiki Winter Daphne. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come!
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens

The plants arrived quickly and in great health. They were packaged carefully. They were happy, and I am overjoyed at how well they’re doing. Will definitely buy from Wilson Bros again!————————WBG Reply: Hi Josephine, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Zuiko Nishiki Winter Daphne. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come!
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens

The plant looked in great health on arrival, just like other Daphne bought elsewhere earlier this year, which died pretty quickly. With those I had been very careful not to disturb the roots. But this time I didn’t worry about that so much and removed as much potting soil as possible without breaking anything thicker than course hairs, and then planted in garden soil heavily amended with paving sand and bark fines. So far everything looks great with new growth now evident. ——————————- WBG Reply: Hi Murph – Thanks you so much for providing your review of the Zuiko Nishiki Winter Daphne and we hope you enjoy it for years to come. Glad to hear you’re seeing new growth already. One difference between us and many other growers is that we hand-water every plant on our nursery…no overhead irrigation, which can often overwater plants causing constantly soggy soil and root rot. This is especially true with Daphne odora, which prefers a very well-drained damp to somewhat dry soil, especially when established. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can do for you. We’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens

Beautiful, large, healthy plant arrived in perfect condition. I can hardly wait for it to bloom. Beautiful, large, healthy plant arrived in perfect condition. I can hardly wait for it to bloom. —————————– WBG Reply: Hi Betty – Thanks so much for your review of the Zuiko Nishiki Winter Daphne and we hope you enjoy this fragrant wonder for many years to come. Thanks also for the compliments. It makes everything we do even more worth the while. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can do for you. We’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens