Viburnum x. bodnantense to the rescue…

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Holy Hiatus ~~Daphne~~ Viburnum x. bodnantense!

I had absolutely no intention of taking these last 2 weeks off! I had decided to try to take a break for the week we were in Lana’i. But then when we got back to Seattle it was so gray and drizzly, I just couldn’t really didn’t see anything inspiring to write about {and this never happens to me, I usually have more ideas than time to write about them}. Also, I was busy getting number~one~son back to college:(, putting away ~~all~~ some of the Christmas decorations, and then before I knew it I was receiving reminder notices that I do have a blog and blog fb page that were in need of some attention!

Thankfully, this charming flower came to my rescue, as usual. In even the bleakest, darkest, wettest, coldest days of winter somehow it miraculously pops open each year, looking so out of place against the gray skies. These outrageous, fragrant puffs of pink serve as a reminder to me that longer, warmer, brighter days will be coming soon. I’ve written about Daphne odora before, in Winter’s Intoxicating Farewell, also known as Winter Daphne, odora is an evergreen shrub I’ve coaxed into surviving in my courtyard. Like the it’s cousin, odora, ~~this one, called~~ mezereum or February Daphne,Viburnum x. bodnantense also has blooms that emit a most beautiful, spicy, exotic fragrance.

~~February Daphne~~ Viburnum x. bodnantenseis the gangly cousin to green and compact Winter Daphne, I love the description of this plant in Sunset’s Western Garden book “Rather gawky, stiff~twigged, erect growth to 4 ft. tall and 3 ft. wide….Fragrant reddish purple flowers in short, stalkless clusters are carried along branches in mid- or late winter before leaf-out and continue into spring”.

Reading this I realized that my plant is more that a little bit overgrown, with more than a dozen thick burgundy shaded stalks shooting 10-15 feet up in the air, covered with these airy pink puffs. To try to bring this beauty back down to size I decided it was time to thin it out a bit.

And why not bring the branches into the dining room where I was serving one of my all~time favorite winter menus {more on that later}, they looked quite dramatic soaring overhead from the corners of the room.

And the room was filled with that fabulous fragrance.

I used some of the smaller branches to add color to this otherwise “living” arrangement.

Living arrangements like this are easy to assemble and can provide natural beauty in your home for weeks. By bringing potted bulbs indoors you can force them to bloom early, providing a much needed preview of Spring. These birch bark boxes are filled with plastic pots of tulip bulbs, the type you’d find at the grocery store, then topped with dried moss that was soaked in water {if you don’t have access to fresh moss}. The ~~Daphne~~ Viburnum x. bodnantense stems are in cylinders of water.

Adding cut stems to this bulb arrangement adds height, complexity, fragrance and longevity to the display, Hopefully the tulips will begin to bloom around the time the ~~Daphne~~ Viburnum x. bodnantense fades.

What’s blooming in your world?

Comments

I Dream Of says

January 16, 2014 at 2:00 am

Hi Emily! How nice to have you back! I swear I could smell spring this evening – have you noticed the sun is setting a little bit later? There must have been some daphne nearby. I have some living arrangements in our home right now – some little yellow daffodils and, my favorite hyacinths in beds of bright green moss. They smell like heaven. It looks like spring has sprung in your dining room. Gorgeous!

Have a lovely week! XOXO

Linda @ DesignInMyView says

January 16, 2014 at 7:23 am

Emily, Every family home I have memory of, in Oregon and Washington, had a daphne (or two for maximum fragrance impact) planted near the front door.

I have never seen them grow more than 2ft tall. Your courtyard is well protected to encourage this (former) giant! Happy New Year 🙂

designchic says

January 16, 2014 at 12:42 pm

How beautiful – no blooms in my yard right now, but can hardly wait for the first hint of Spring!!

Anonymous says

January 16, 2014 at 4:48 pm

The plant you show is NOT a Daphne but is a Viburnum x. bodnantense.

Teresa Hatfield ~ Splendid Sass says

January 16, 2014 at 5:39 pm

Thank yo for reminding me of this gorgeous daphne. My mother had one in her yard, which was such a beautiful garden.
Glad that you are back!
Happy New Year!
Teresa
xoxo

The enchanted home says

January 16, 2014 at 9:46 pm

Soooo gorgeous! I want one, its so dramatic yet so elegant and feminine…love it!

Splendid Market says

January 16, 2014 at 11:09 pm

Jeanne — What a fun new picture you have. I love the scent of hyacinths, I'll need to pick some up. Yes, I have noticed the days are a little longer and brighter…it's coming :).

Linda the plants your describing are what I have in my courtyard, 1 right by my front door, the other across the way, when they are both in bloom the fragrance engulfs the entire courtyard. The former giant, which anonymous had correctly identified as a Viburnum {whoops, sorry about that}.

Teresa, glad it brought back memories.

Good to be back all and looking forward to getting caught up with all of you!