Daphne bholua “Jacqueline Postil”

Daphne bholua “Jacqueline Postil” has really got a lot going for it.  It is the belle of this season’s ball.  Evergreen, very pretty flowers and exquisite scent.  All this in the depths of winter.  Not sure I need to market this one much more.  No doom and gloom here!

Well perhaps a little – it tends to be expensive.  Because it flowers in this country in the depths of winter there are few insects around so it is seldom naturally pollinated which of course means no seed.  It is also difficult to propagate vegetatively as cuttings are reluctant to root.  Grafting is the usual method and this is labour intensive and therefore expensive.  Micropropagation is now being used which hopefully will mean this wonderful plant will be more accessible.  This particular variety is evergreen except in extremely harsh conditions when it will jettison its leaves as a last attempt at survival.  In fact as you climb the Himalayas the daphnes become increasingly deciduous.  In Nepal it is traditionally used in paper making and is sometimes known as the Paper Daphne.  It can grow quite large, up to 4m, which would be a truly spectacular beast and certainly worth paying a bob or two more than your standard shrub.