Sweet Box

Sweet Box (Sarcococca confusa) solves the shaded, forgotten bed down the side of the house. It makes a neat evergreen mound about 1.5m tall and 1.2m wide with small glossy dark leaves, and in the middle of winter it opens tiny cream flowers scented of honey and vanilla, strongly enough to stop you on the path. Slow growing, frost hardy and content in shade, it asks for almost nothing.

Why you'll love it

• Winter fragrance where nothing else flowers. The cream blooms are small and easy to miss, but the scent carries several metres in still air, in July.
• It genuinely wants shade. Most fragrant shrubs need sun. This one performs under trees, on a south facing wall, or in the narrow gap between two buildings.
• A hedge that stays put. Slow, dense growth at around 1.5m means one light trim a year rather than four.
• Tough and useful. Frost hardy, drought tolerant once established, content in poor soil, and an early nectar source for bees.

Where it works best

Low hedging. Plant 60cm apart for a shade hedge that closes into a continuous low wall. It takes three or four seasons to knit, then holds its shape with very little work.

Borders and edging. Along a shaded path it gives structure all year, and puts the winter scent where people walk.

Pots and mass planting. A pot 400mm or wider suits it, and a matched pair flanking a shaded doorway is one of its best uses. Under established trees, set plants 60cm apart to hold ground lawn will never cover.

Growing Sweet Box in Australia

Position and climate. Partial to full shade is ideal, and full sun in a hot climate will bleach the leaves. This is a cool temperate and warm temperate plant that wants a real winter chill to flower well, so southern gardens, the tablelands and cooler inland districts get the best from it. In warm temperate coastal gardens it grows happily but flowers more lightly.

Soil. Not fussy, and it copes with poor soil, though it prefers a moisture retentive bed with compost worked through and 75mm of mulch. It will not sit in water.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first two summers, after which it is drought tolerant in shade. A complete slow release fertiliser in early spring is all it needs, and overfeeding gives soft growth at the expense of scent.

Pruning. Trim lightly once the winter flowers finish, taking no more than a third. It suckers gently at the base, which is how a mass planting fills in, so leave those shoots.

What to expect when it arrives

Three sizes are grown: tubes, 140mm pots in packs of ten and 200mm pots in packs of six. Tubes are the value option for a long hedge or a large shaded bed. The 140mm and 200mm plants are bushier and a season or two further ahead, which counts for a lot with a shrub this slow.

Be realistic about pace. Expect roughly 10 to 15cm of growth a year, and a hedge that reads as solid in the third or fourth season. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• A guide to fragrant plants
• Browse the fragrant plant range
• Plants suited to partial shade
• Screening plants from 1m to 2m

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

Sixty centimetres apart in a single row. Closer spacing wastes plants without speeding anything up, because the limit is the slow growth rate rather than the gap between them.

Will it flower in a warm climate?

It flowers best where winters are genuinely cold. In warm temperate coastal gardens it still grows well and still scents the air, but the display is lighter than in a cool temperate garden.

Can it take full sun, or dry shade?

It tolerates morning sun, but hot afternoon sun yellows and scorches the foliage. Dry shade under trees is where it excels, once you have watered it weekly through the first two summers.