SHRUBS > SARCOCOCCA
IN THIS GUIDE
SARCOCOCCA GUIDES
Sarcococca confusa , or sweet box as it is often known , is a great bush for providing winter interest during the colder months .
Around the gay time in December and January , it produces small and finespun white flowers that are sweet scented and give the plant its other name – Christmas loge .
A tough and well-to-do - to - grow evergreen shrub , it needs little care and grows equally well when planted in a edge or in a pot .
Cornus
Overview
PreferredFull Sun or Partial Shade
ExposureSheltered
Height1.5 – 2.5 M
Spread1 – 1.5 M
Bloom TimeWinter
PreferredMost fat soils
MoistureMoist but well - drained
pHAny
Sarcococca confusais a appendage of the Buxaceae family and was infix to the United Kingdom from China in the early nineteenth century.1Sarcococca Confusa ( sweet Box ) . ( 2021 , April 7 ) . Birmingham Botanical Gardens . Retrieved March 23 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk/plants-of-the-month-december/sarcococca-confusa/
A group of fearless and true shrubs , sarcococcas not only cater some evergreen interest all year around , but theirflowers can brighten up the darkest of wintertime day .
Sarcococca shrubs are sturdy and will manage with a just amount of neglect and defilement , making them arrant for a front garden or city court .
S. confusais one of the heavy growing varieties and can grow , if give way , to an eventual height and spread of 2 m.
Cornus
Having been awarded the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society ( RHS ) , it has proven to execute reliably well in the garden .
Planting
Sarcococca bush are widely available and are trade potted up in a kitchen stove of pot sizes from 9 cm all the way up to 50L plus .
Sarcococca tends to be an unfussy shrub to arise and will cope with almost any soil as long as it is moist and free - draining .
To implant immediately into the footing , fix a golf hole twice as broad as its theme ball and at least as deep .
Add some well - rot organic matter and , if the soil is heavy , some horticultural gritstone to open up up the grunge and increase drainage .
Backfill with dirt , firm in gently and water in well .
If planting in a flowerpot or container , ensure drainage holes are present and add some crock or get to to the foundation of the pot .
Part fill with a free - drain potting mix for shrubs and plant the sarcococca at the same profoundness it antecedently was , then backfill with soil and water well .
Sarcococcas will allow almost any position as long as it is shelter .
Preferring full or partial shade , they are idealistic for a troublesome N - facing billet or in the shade of a tree .
However , they can also be grown in full sunshine as long as the soil is keep from dry out .
The odor of the sweet box in flower is so special that it ’s a shame not to appreciate it , which is why they are so often planted near a porch or doorway so they can be enjoy when passing .
Commonly usable as a potted shrub , sarcococcas can be planted at almost any clip of class , except when the ground is frozen or waterlogged .
Care must be taken if planting during the warmer months though as they will require enough wet to facilitate them get established and not dry out out .
Sweet Box Plant Care
S.confusais a tolerant bush and will cope well when grown in most soil type , whether clay , loam , methamphetamine hydrochloride or sand , as long as it is innocent - draining and can be kept moist .
S.confusais an well-off bush to grow and care for and pruning is not strictly necessary .
However , they can be pruned with a fresh and sharp pair of secateurs or shear right after flower in February or March to keep them to size and shape .
“ I have a lowS. confusahedge by my front door as its odour , at a time of class when little else is unfolding , is so welcome , ” share Horticultural Consultant Colin Skelly .
“ The fragrance hang on the breeze on cool , still tardy winter days . After blossoming , in March or April I cut the hedge back , take away all of the premature time of year ’s growth .
“ It will blossom again on the young time of year ’s outgrowth . ”
cherubic box plants have an H5 hardiness rating , which means they are usually able to withstand temperatures as small as -10 to -15 ° century and are able to hold up even a harsh winter in most parts of the UK .
S. confusatends not to be affected by pests or diseases and usually grows for many year comparatively freewheeling .
However , when grown in a mickle or container it can be wanton for them to dry out , with their leaves turning crinkly and yellow or brownish , unless watered deeply and often during the summer months .
Sweet boxful bush are happiest when grow in the shade and are often grown with other plants with like grow demand .
Growing to an eventual height and spreadhead of 2 megabyte , they are perfect for the back of a border – and compound well withother winter involvement plantssuch ascornusandhellebores .
Being evergreen plant , they are often used as a screening plant and grown as a low-pitched informal hedge .
Propagation
S. confusassucker freely and can be propagated in a number of different ways .
Perhaps the easiest method of increasing your sweet box stock , either for the garden or to give by to mob and friends , is by using the sucker .
Growing under the foliage around the base of the plant , these suckers can either be cut off a few centimetres under the soil surface with a crisp tongue or pulled up .
These suckers usually have some short livid roots attached and can be potted up and grown on until magnanimous enough to plant out .
Sweet boxwood can also be propagate by semi - hardwood cuttings take at the end of the summer or in early autumn .
10 - 15 cm long cuttings can be taken from any healthy growth , but need to include some mild green development at the top and harder wood at the bottom .
polish off all but the top 3 - 4 leaves and cut the stand of the cutting square , just below a leaf node .
Insert the cuttings halfway into a great deal filled with free - debilitate potting mix and water well .
traverse with a clear plastic bag to define any moisture evaporate and keep out of lineal sun until rooted , after which they can be potted on .
Sarcococca can also be grow from seed , however , this tends to be the least preferred option for home gardener as they uprise so well from sucker and cuttings .
