Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’ (Gold Edged Winter Daphne)

It's the delicious smell of the flowers in January, February and March that make this an essential for every garden. An evergreen mound forming shrub to 4ft x 4ft after 15 years with slight variegation to the leaves. Even if you never saw it, it's the smells you grow it for. Make sure it's planted near where you go in the winter - as close to the front or back door. As with most fragrant flowers, they're small but copious. Little white and red bells.

Very tough and frost hardy but slow growing and a reliable flowerer. Incredibly popular and often in short supply. Any soil, including chalk, sun or light shade.

Propagated by cuttings.

N.B. When clipping several plants with the same tool, have a bucket containing a 5% bleach solution and swish your blades around for 30 seconds between plants to sterilise them. This will help avoid the chance of cross contamination of disease.

As with all woody plants, plant high, exposing as much of the taper at the base of the trunk as possible. Allowing soil to accumulate round the base of a tree can be fatal. Keep very well watered when first planted.