if this knowledgable group does not have an answer for you, i suggest you post this in the shrubs forum.
best,
mindy

Thank you. I'll wait a day or two to see if anyone can offer an idea of identification.

Is there any way you could post a photo, especially of the foliage and berries -- I can practically guarantee if you could borrow a digital camera (if you don't have one) to get a shot, someone here could ID it for you.

Is this plant a white form of Daphne? There are several species of Daphne so I'm not sure exactly which one would fit the bill. The white-flowered forms tend to have yellow berries.

Does any of these pictures look like your plant? You might take a look at this one too.

tree oracle, Interesting the flowers look like them though I only get them on the tips of branches. Then leaves more so on tips but they do form on the branches too. The yellow berries cluster around the branch. I will try to photo. Of course this could just be a very unhealthy shrub. I believe the person that planted most things here sold about 10 yrs ago and the following owners did nothing.

Have patience with me, I am not any better at posting pictures than I am at identifying plants.
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd274/eandhl/IMG_1866.jpg
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd274/eandhl/IMG_1867.jpg
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd274/eandhl/IMG_1865.jpg

Your photos:

{{gwi:1082863}}

Claire

Your daphne looks leggy but healthy. However, it is in need of some rejuvenation pruning. I'm not familiar enough with this species to know if it can take a hard pruning where you basically cut it back to the ground. To be on the safe side, I suggest cutting about 1/3 of the growth back to within 6 to 8 inches to the ground each year for the next three years. You should probably add a nitrogen fertilizer to it each year to give it an energy boost for producing that new growth. It should look as good as new by then.

Thank you. When should it be pruned this year? If I did 1/3 now there would be no berries left. The only gardening I have done is a small herb bed and veggies. Flowers are new to me and I am trying to resurrect some of the old beds here. There are a couple of smaller plants of same near by, would these be from dropped berries? Also is this an unusual plant in the area? I ask because no one local was able to identify. Again, thank you.

The pruning can always wait until next spring if you're so fond of the berries on it now. That's probably a better time anyway since it's somewhat late in the year to start any hard pruning. Next spring, wait until you start seeing the leaves popping out and then start the pruning program. Since you're new to this, you'll probably fear that you are making mistakes pruning out the wrong branches, or pruning off too much of a branch, etc. Have no fear, it's just like getting a bad haircut in that everything will eventually grow back.

Your plant isn't readily found at garden centers anymore so it is somewhat unusual. It sounds like it is seeding new plants. Lucky you.

One other thing about the legginess. If the plant is not getting enough sun, it will continue to have this leggy appearance. You may have to move it to an area that gets more sun if you wish to to have a fuller looking plant.

Thanks, I will wait till spring. I am not comfortable moving it, it does get AM sun. Maybe I will try to move one of the tiny ones next spring. In the jungle of uncared for gardens I have found a few different varieties of peonies, foxglove, at least 3 different roses. A couple of different hydrangeas, one that hasn't bloomed, I realized the branches die each yr and new ones grow, it has very large leaves. Also cut enough to find a very dark purple clematis that bloomed beautiful this yr. And after cutting a lot of vines discovered a small cut red maple. Do you suggest a specific nitrous fertilizer?

What a lovely plant, and what fun you must be having discovering things in your old gardens (sort of "Secret Garden" like adventure!) And how lovely that you have more than one of these beautiful plants, too!

I wonder if it's possible to tell what variety of Daphne this is (maybe your nursery folks can research it for you, now that you've given them a "hint"??) There are many types, right? And I always wonder with "old" plants like these, why were they IN favor and why did they fall OUT of favor over the years... whatever the reason, you are lucky to have such a lovely shrub!

I found a neat link to a document from 1825 describing Daphnes... I'm attaching the link. Also, in reading up (curiosity roused by your gorgeous photos!) it sounds as if all Daphnes are highly poisonous, and they seem a bit capricious as well (Tree_oracle, do you know if that's true of all the them?). Here's another link, this time to a Nova Scotia source (so a more similar zone to yours?): http://www.atlanticrhodo.org/kiosk/features/misc/daphne.html

"Daphnes are notorious for being difficult to grow. This is only partly true. Some of the species can be very fastidious about their growing conditions most prefer a well-drained, moist, fertile growing medium. Many seem to enjoy even alkaline conditions but the species and cultivars previously mentioned seem to be very content in our Maritime soils. There is one thing that most species of Daphne have in common, they detest being moved. When one acquires a Daphne, a permanent place in the garden should be selected before the shrub is planted. I have seen D. mezereum moved very carefully early in the spring with most of its root system intact, leafing out normally and then dying the following season for no apparent reason. D. mezereum will some times fail for no obvious reason, this according to Dirr (1983) may be related to a little known virus. I personally haven't had problems growing D. mezereum. The Daphnes make great specimen plants and combine well with other shrubs with similar cultural requirements.

This is a wonderful genus of plants that is seldom offered in the industry and are deserving of a place in the garden."

Sounds as if none of the Daphnes like to be moved!

But what a cool plant and how lucky you are to have it! (Just don't eat the berries!! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Cool 1825 reference to Daphne

ctlady, thank you for the info. I will not attempt to move the big one. It has survived many years of neglect so I think it best to leave it alone. It sounds most like the Alba. Last year within a few days animals/birds took all the berries. It may have been the first time in many years they were accessible without the jungle covering. While it is fun finding plants I admit to being overwhelmed. This is all very different than our old veggie gardens and I know next to nothing. We also found blueberry, raspberry and alpine strawberries. A couple of overgrown apple trees and dying peach trees. Clearly someone enjoyed gardening here but not in a very long time. Is the CT in your name Conn? We are in the upper NW corner, near the MA line.

Hi eandhl -- Yes, the "CT" is Connecticut. We are in lower Litchfield County, so not as far north as you but still "Northwest Hills" technically (we're in Woodbury). What town are you in?

We, too, have blueberries, raspberries, black raspberries and alpine strawberries (the last I brought with me from my old house and they are going gangbusters this particular year in several planters on the patio (where they live year-round), and all but the black raspberries we have planted since we moved here. No apples or peaches but good luck with them -- sounds as if you have a wonderful piece of property!

Oh! and it looks as if I pasted the wrong link for the 1825 reference, so I'll try again in this post since I thought it was rather cool.

Here is a link that might be useful: 1825 reference to Daphnes

There are two main reasons why you wouldn't see too many of them around:
-highly poisonous, but very attractive to kids and dogs berries. In fact all parts of plant are poisonous and some people may have an allergic reaction just by rubbing the leaves or stems. In Russia, where it grows in a wild in open forests, national name of it is 'deadly wolf-berry' which said all about it.
-difficult to grow in wet NE winters, though it's absolutely hardy to z4 and possibly z3.

Re: pruning.
In late February-early March, when you'll see swelling buds on it, cut and bring some branches indoor. Very soon flowers will open and bloom for about 2 weeks. Very fragrant.

Thank you ego45. I will be careful for any visiting children or pets. Interesting we are in a damp area. Lots of woods, streams and across from a very large running brook. (class 5 in the early spring) We are at the base of a mtn and lots of areas where there is water run off.
ctlady we are in Colebrook, north end near MA line.