Daphne laureola subsp. philippi Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Dwarf Spurge Laurel

Daphne laureola subsp. philippi

£32.99
Hardy in the UKShade-tolerantEvergreenLoved by pollinators
Pot size
17cm / 2L £32.99

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

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Description

Daphne laureola subsp. philippi is the pocket edition of the spurge laurel: a low, dense evergreen dome of glossy, dark, whorled leaves, only ankle to shin high, that quietly steals late winter with clusters of lime-green bells breathing a soft honey scent at dusk. The first bees and moths of the year know exactly where to find it.

This Pyrenean subspecies keeps all the native toughness of our woodland spurge laurel, H5 hardy, chalk-tolerant, happy among tree roots, in a form small enough for the front of any shaded planting.

How and where to grow

  • Position: partial to full shade; woodland conditions.
  • Soil: humus-rich, moist but well-drained; chalk tolerated.
  • Size: 30-40 cm tall, a little wider; slow and permanent.
  • Hardiness: H5; plant once and never move it.

Tuck it beside a shaded path where the February scent earns its keep, at the feet of Hydrangea aspera or among plants for shade, and let it feed the earliest pollinators. Note all daphnes are toxic if eaten; plant with gloves and site thoughtfully.

Nursery-grown plants of a form rarely offered. Quiet, permanent, and part of the connoisseur's corner of hardy exotics.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Dwarf Spurge Laurel

Give me sun with a little shade and I will stand a UK winter outdoors.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About Dwarf Spurge Laurel

Daphne laureola subsp. philippi needs partial shade or full shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is hardy to around −15°C and stands a UK winter outdoors.

Good for

Shade Wildlife & Pollinators

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

Hardy Exotic (H5): down to around −15°C. Hardy through a cold UK winter.

Fully hardy, H5; a European mountain native that treats UK winters as home. Read moreShow less

Fully hardy, H5; a European mountain native that treats UK winters as home.

Position

Partial shadeFull shadeNorth-facingEast-facingWest-facingSheltered
Partial to full shade; woodland conditions. Read moreShow less

Partial to full shade; woodland conditions.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH
Humus-rich, moist but well-drained; tolerates chalk and root competition. Plant once and do not move it. Read moreShow less

Humus-rich, moist but well-drained; tolerates chalk and root competition. Plant once and do not move it.

Watering

Water gently through the first summer; then leave the roots strictly alone. Read moreShow less

Water gently through the first summer; then leave the roots strictly alone.

Mature size

Height0.3-0.4 m
Spread0.4-0.6 m

Reaches full size in 5-10 years

Growth habit

Bushy

Flowering

Feb-Apr · Green, Yellow

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Evergreen

Pruning

None needed; daphnes resent pruning. Remove only dead wood.

Toxicity

All parts are toxic if eaten and sap can irritate skin; wear gloves and site away from foraging children and pets.

Native range

Pyrenees

Family

Thymelaeaceae

Also known as

Daphne laureola subsp. philippi

Genus

Daphne
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Daphne laureola subsp. philippi?

The dwarf Pyrenean form of the spurge laurel: a neat, low evergreen dome of glossy, dark whorled leaves that produces clusters of lime-green, subtly honey-scented flowers in late winter. It is a connoisseur's woodland treasure at ankle height.

When does it flower and is it scented?

February to April, tucked among the leaf whorls: lime-green bells with a quiet honey scent strongest at dusk, feeding the earliest bees and moths of the year.

Is Daphne poisonous?

Yes: all parts, especially the black berries, are toxic if eaten, and sap can irritate skin. Plant it with gloves, site it away from foraging children and pets, and it will give decades of quiet service, as it has in British gardens for centuries.

Where should I plant it?

A permanent pocket of woodland shade, by a path where the winter scent registers, among plants for shade and below taller exotic border structure. Daphnes hate moving, so choose once.

Is spurge laurel native?

The species grows wild in British woodland; subsp. philippi is its compact Pyrenean cousin. That native toughness is why it succeeds where fussier daphnes fail, and why wildlife already knows how to use it.

How big does subsp. philippi get?

Only 30 to 40 cm tall and a little wider, a tidy evergreen hummock that never crowds its neighbours. The full spurge laurel reaches a metre; this is the pocket edition.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
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Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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Daphne laureola subsp. philippi
£32.99