Daphne x burkwoodii 'Briggs Moonlight'
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Family: Thymelaeaceae
Pronounced: DAF-nee burk-WOOD-ee-eye
GROWING GUIDE
Geographic Origin:
Garden.
Plant Group:
Shrubs.
Hardiness:
Sunset zones: 2B-6, 14-17.
USDA: zones 5-8.
Heat zones: 7-1.
Mature size:
Height: 3-4 feet (1-1.2 m).
Width: 3-4 feet (1-1.2 m).
Flowering period:
Mid spring.
Flowering attributes:
Terminal clusters of white, fragrant flowers opening from pink buds.
Leaf attributes:
Semi-evergreen, lance-shaped leaves with green margins and creamy-yellow centers.
Growth habit:
Rounded shrub.
Light:
Partial shade.
Soil:
Moist, fertile, humus rich, well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil.
Propagation Methods:
Softwood cuttings in early and mid-summer. | Layer in spring.
Pruning Methods:
Minimal pruning to remove crossed limbs, or prune back branches that spoil symmetry. Most of all prune lightly.
Rainy Side Notes
The Burkwood Daphnes came from a cross between D. cneorum and D. caucasica. A sport from Daphne x burkwoodii 'Carol Mackie', D. 'Brigg's Moonlight' was found amidst a multitude of cuttings at Briggs Wholesale Nursery in Olympia, Washington. It had the opposite variegation of D. 'Carol Mackie'. It has rapidly become an eye-catching favorite for the light shade garden.
Like other daphnes, D. 'Briggs Moonlight' has very fragrant flowers, but the best part about this plant is its handsome creamy foliage edged in deep green. Daphnes are notorious for dying for no known reason and ‘Briggs Moonlight’ is not exempt. Your chances of keeping this one alive will increase if it is grown with good drainage in dappled sunlight. I echo what Valerie Easton wrote in the Seattle Times newspaper, “If any of you have successfully grown the seriously variegated and nearly irresistible (meaning I can only resist it now after I've killed it several times) Daphne x burkwoodii 'Briggs Moonlight,' please send instructions.”
I will grow this shrub repeatedly if I have to; the foliage makes it worthwhile.
Debra Teachout-Teashon
Photographed in author's garden.
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