Unhappy Daphne

[BiscuityBoyle]

I got a Daphne in April and planted it up, all was good. However it’s not looking too happy. It’s put on a little new growth but not much. My garden is quite shady but she’s in a spot that gets sun from mid afternoon onwards.

My initial reaction is to dig her up and put her in a pot on the patio, which hets a lot more sun, until she is bigger.

Any thoughts?

Word of caution, Daphnes notoriously hate being moved. If you are going to try it, do it in late winter or early spring when it's in its dormant stage. Good luck🌸

Ooh. Thanks for that. Any other advice to keep her happy?

Daphnes prefer light shade so I'd leave it where it is. I wouldn't expect it to do much until late winter/early spring anyway.

I’ll leave it were it is then and hope it works out.

We have a Daphne. It wasn't happy for 4 or 5 years. Leaves were pale, going yellowy, never flowered.

My DH says it needs ericaceous soil, so you might need to get some ericaceous compost to mulch around it.

He said it was much happier when he gave it some iron sulphate. The leaves went darker. It flowered for the first time this spring.

This was a picture I took in February

I doubt whether it needs ericaceous, ie acid, soil. RHS says It grows in neutral to alkaline soils, and the only places I’ve seen Daphne mezereum in the wild have been on limestone pavements.