Sarcococca confusa
SWEET BOX
Family: Buxaceae
Pronounced: sar-ko-KOAK-ah kon-FU-sa
Quick Jumps
Growing Guide
Rainy Side Notes
GROWING GUIDE
Origin:
Western China.
Plant Group:
Shrubs.
Hardiness:
Sunset zones: 4-9, 14-24.
USDA zones: 7-9.
Heat zones: 9-6.
Mature size:
Height 3-5 feet (1-1.5 m).
Width: 3 feet (1 m).
Flowering period:
January-March, sometimes as early as December.
Flowering attributes:
Clusters of five, inconspicuous, creamy-white blushed with pink, fragrant flowers, and long stamens that have snow white filaments and creamy-white anthers. Black berries follow the flowers.
Leaf attributes:
Alternate, elliptic, surface undulating, glossy, green, evergreen leaves.
Growth habit:
Rounded.
Light:
Deep or partial shade.
Soil:
Humus rich, fertile, moist, well-drained soil.
Feeding:
Side dress with compost or manure. Fertilize in spring with a complete organic fertilizer.
Propagation Methods:
Sow seed into containers in spring or autumn and place in cold frame.
Cuttings in summer.
Pruning Methods:
During mid-spring prune dead or damaged branches. Prune for symmetry after flowering.
Pests and Diseases:
No problems to speak of.
Rainy Side Notes
I love to pronounce the name of this genus — Sarcococca. It's one of those words that bounce around the mouth and quickly slips out like a giggle — sar-ko-KOAK-ah. Sometimes I wish we had more words like this, but I would be too busy playing with them and not getting my work done.
The best part about Sarcococca is that it blooms in winter. When you walk in the garden, Sarcococca's fragrance gives such a knock on the olfactory nerve; you will want to take a deep breath of the beautiful scent. The first time I caught a whiff of it, I was in the garden at Heronswood Nursery in January. The fragrance caught my attention, and I searched what flower gave itself away in the middle of winter.
To my surprise, it was a tiny, almost inconspicuous white flower on the sweet box shrub. The glossy, black berries caught my eye also. I had to have this wonderful fragrance for my winter garden! The genus of shrubs came to live in my garden. Its sweet scent reminds me of what a joy it is to have this shrub blooming in the garden in the dead of winter.
The first species collected seed came from China in 1908, and later introduced to cultivation in 1916.
Its common name, sweet box, comes from its being in the boxwood family. Unlike other boxwoods, Sarcococca doesn't smell like dirty sweat socks or cat pee when it gets wet. S. confusa has more fragrance than another sweet box species — S. hookeriana.
Photographed in author's garden.
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton