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Key characteristics

Family: Thymelaeaceae
Height: 2 to 4 feet
Width: 2 to 4 feet
Flower color: Pale pink to white
Foliage color: Dark green with creamy-yellow margins (variegated)
Bloom time: Late winter to early spring
Light: Partial shade to full sun
Water: Regular
Maintenance: Requires minimal maintenance once established
Growing zone: USDA Zones 7 to 9
Wildlife: May attract pollinators

Shrubs

Daphne odora ‘Maejima’

Maejima Variegated Winter Daphne

Daphne odora 'Maejima' is a compact evergreen shrub with a rounded growth habit, prized for its fragrant flowers and variegated foliage. It boasts glossy dark green leaves edged with creamy-yellow margins, adding year-round interest to the garden. In late winter to early spring, clusters of intensely fragrant, pale pink to white blooms adorn the plant, filling the air with a sweet, citrusy scent.

Thriving in moist, well-drained soil and partial shade to full sun, 'Maejima' is ideal for mixed borders, woodland gardens, or as a focal point.

Light

Partial shade to full sun

Water

Regular

Bloom time

Late winter to early spring

Find this plant

Works well in

Shade Gardens
Fragrant Gardens
Woodland Gardens
Paths & Walkways

Companion plants

Sweet box · Bleeding heart · Pieris · Foam flower · Lungwort · Ajuga

Design tip

Broad creamy-yellow margins make this daphne noticeably brighter than many other evergreen shrubs, giving it a natural role as a small focal point in shade. Repeating touches of gold or chartreuse nearby can carry that color through the planting without competing with its fragrant winter flowers.

Printable plant sheet (PDF)