Hi Jane,

Daphne odora makes a good subject for a pot since it's both compact and relatively slow growing. They don't like acidic soils, and don't respond well to heavy fertilization either, so the ideal would be a neutral pH, soil-based (John Innes type) compost. Daphnes hate being water-logged, so for container growing I would also add a some extra coarse grit or perlite to the compost mix to improve drainage, as well as making sure the container itself has excellent drainage.