Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Shrubs

Daphne bholua 'Peter Smithers'

daphne 'Peter Smithers'

'Peter Smithers' is a more or less evergreen, medium-sized shrub of erect habit with long, oval, leathery leaves. Highly fragrant, dark purplish-pink and pale pink flowers open in terminal clusters in late winter, followed by black berries

Synonyms

Daphne bholua 'Daman Ridge Dark'

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
7 suppliers

Ultimate height

1.5–2.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

1–1.5 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

South–facing or East–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Thymelaeaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Semi evergreen
Habit: Bushy
Potentially harmful: TOXIC if eaten, skin irritant. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling TOXIC to pets - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
Genus: Daphne can be deciduous or evergreen shrubs with small, usually very fragrant tubular, 4-lobed flowers, often followed by colourful berries
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in moderately fertile, humus-rich, well-drained but not dry soil, in sun or part shade. Mulch to keep roots cool. Establishes best if planted in the spring, and resents transplanting so do not move once established. See daphne cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings in early to midsummer and semi-ripe heel cuttings in mid- or late summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Flower borders and beds
Wall side borders

Pruning

Pruning group 1 or pruning group 8 but keep pruning to a minimum

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely), phytophthora root rot, fungal leaf spot and virus diseases

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.