Sarcococca confusa
As the new gardening year begins winter-flowering shrubs emerge to fill the air with rich and delicate fragrances. A great example of such a shrub is Sarcococca confusa (sweet box) which produces clusters of tiny white flowers amongst its dark green leathery foliage. Although its flowers are small they more than make up for this with their sweet fragrance, which can be best enjoyed when planted at the front of a border or path edge. Sarcococca is easy to grow and there are several examples to be appreciated at RHS Garden Hyde Hall, primarily in the Hilltop Garden.
Vital statistics
- Common name
- Sweet box
- Family
- Buxaceae
- Height & spread
- Up to 2.5m high(8ft) x 1.5m wide (5ft)
- Form
- Evergreen shrub
- Soil
- Moderately fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- Full or partial shade, will tolerate full sun in damp soil.
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy
Sarcococca
This is a genus of about 14 species of monoecious (plants where male and female flowers are carried separately, but on the same plant), evergreen shrubs.
They are found in moist, shady sites, forests and thickets from China to the Himalayas and SE Asia and are grown for their foliage, mostly fragrant flowers and berry-like fruits.
The flowers are small, about 5mm (0.25in) long and both male and female are white or greenish-white and without petals. They are borne in clusters or spikes in the leaf axils.
Sarcococca can be used as ground cover in a woodland garden or used as a low informal hedge. They are useful plants, tolerating atmospheric pollution, dry shade and neglect.
The name is derived from the Greek words sarkos meaning flesh, and kokkos meaning a berry, a reference to the fleshy fruits of the plant.
Sarcococca confusa
This species, from western China, is a dense, rounded, bushy shrub with elliptic, tapered, glossy, dark green leaves up to 6cm long. It is renowned for its clusters of about five sweetly scented white flowers in winter, followed by glossy black fruit. The lovely fragrance usually leads you to the plant!
Cultivation
- Grow in moderately fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in deep or partial shade.
- Shelter from cold, drying winds.
- Prune annually, after flowering, to maintain shape.
Propagation
- Sow seed in containers outdoors in autumn or spring.
- Take semi-ripe cuttings in late summer.
- Remove suckers in late winter.
AGM
The RHS Woody Plant Committee awarded Sarcococca confusa an Award of Garden Merit and described it as a:
"Small, bushy evergreen shrub with glossy, deep green, wavy ovate leaves 3-5cm long. Inconspicuous, creamy-white flowers are very sweetly scented. Glossy black berries."