Sweet box begin sweet

Sarcococca hookeriana v. humilis purple stem in flower closeup

One of the great winter-flowering evergreen perennials is in full flower now.  Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis, aka sweet box is a fascinating boxwood relative that forms a dense groundcover in shade.  What make sweet box special are the intensely fragrant flowers toward the end of winter.  All sarcococca are similar in form and flowering, varying mainly in height and fruit color.

6 thoughts on “Sweet box begin sweet”

  1. Darla Anderson

    I love my sweet box and it is blooming here in northern VA as well. Such a wonderful fragrance. It may be covered with 2-4 inches of snow this weekend! My daughter lives in Jacksonville, NC and needs an evergreen ground cover for a small bed that gets afternoon sun and is next to her small side porch. Would sweet box do ok with some afternoon sun or would a carex like everrillo do better? Any other suggestions are welcome.

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