Daphne: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
On our Most Beautiful Block of Vancouver, there’s a daphne, the “good” daphne. At this time of year (March) if you’re walking along Trafalgar between 5th and 4th, you might catch a whiff of its beautiful fragrance. Maybe you’re on the way to YogaWest or Cafe Lokal.
https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/daphne-x-transatlantica-pink-fragrance
However, we also have quite a lot of Daphne, the Bad.
The Invasive Species Council of BC lists daphne (spurge laurel) as an invasive plant. As this site says, it looks a little like rhododendrons with glossy leaves, but you’ll wait a long time (like forever) for beautiful rhodo blooms to emerge, and there’s no scent.
And here’s the ugly part!
is listed as a poisonous plant by the Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System, and as a toxic plant by Worksafe BC. Its toxic sap can cause skin rashes, nausea, swelling of the tongue, and coma.
Dog owners alert!
Daphne (I believe both the beatiful and the invasive kinds) can be toxic to your dogs.
for replacing lawn. Heck! it’s good for replacing weeds – which we might do along the laneway.
Marjoram and oregano – on the Westside – marjoram is lighter in colour; oregano darker. Marjoram has leaves which are slightly hairy and more gray-green in color, while oregano has olive-green colored leaves, but overall they have similar appearances.
Both are key ingredients in pizza, spaghetti sauce and other Italian dishes. Add to salads or soups or anything at all. As always fresh herbs are less pungent than dried (unless they’re really old dried herbs in which case they may have little or not smell or taste). So snip a lot.
It dies down in winter, but should spring back in April – and then it’ll start spreading, so help yourself. I usually have to throw some away if I’m not capable of sharing so PLEASE take some. (I have a secret: I have some at the co-op garden too, so in the unlikely situation that it all disappeared, no problem!)
There’s a lavender bush on the north side-just to the left/east of the sage bush. It’ll bloom in late spring, but you can pick a few springs any time – the leaves aren’t as fragrant or pretty as the flowers, but they are still fragrant and pretty. It’s good for the plant to be pinched back. Just look for the longest stems, and pinch those, and you’ll help it become a much more rounded plant. (And it’s good for us to be well-rounded, yes?)
You might enjoy making 
There’s a sage plant on the north side. Looking a bit spindly, but trust me, it’ll come back. Even now, though, you are invited to pick sprigs from the ENDS of the branches, which will encourage it to get bushier.
In the fall you’ll see the garlic chives (“Chinese” chives) in full bloom. The flowers are beautiful and tasty in salads, and the greens you can add to almost anything: stir frys, stews, soups, salads.
My View ... from the corner of Trafalgar + Fifth 