It is deciduous, so the February flowers stand-out on the bare branches. Flowers are followed by berries, which are poisonous. Daphne retusa - another nice dwarf variety of evergreen Daphne. The whitish to rosy-purple flowers are fragrant. It is not as spectacular as the others, and a little more difficult to find.
Daphnes benefit from an application of lime at planting time.
Dolomite lime is especially beneficial because of the sulfate of magnesium it contains. If pruning is needed, the best time is right after they have finished flowering. Late winter or early summer is the best time to feed them. Use a rose type fertilizer. When preparing the planting soil, always prepare a large planting hole, mixing-in generous amounts of organic humus, in the form of compost or processed manure.