Sarcococca

The garden in January can seem bleak and somewhat uninspiring, but there are a variety of evergreen shrubs that can add some much needed colour to the garden in winter and one in particular that not only has year round colour but also gives off a beautiful scent.

Sarcococca, more commonly known as Christmas Box or Sweet Box is a hardy evergreen shrub with dark green foliage and produces an abundance of creamy white, highly scented flowers from December through to March. These are then followed by glossy black or red berries. A word of warning however, the berries are poisonous if eaten and sap may cause skin irritation, so handle with care.

Originating from the forests of Southeast Asia and the Himalayas these plants thrive in shaded or partial shaded areas such as under trees, where generally other plants would languish and wither from lack of light. A very versatile shrub, they can be planted directly into the ground and used as groundcover (suckering types such as confusa or hookeriana var. humilis is best) or used as a low, informal hedge. They also make wonderful container plants that can be kept in areas where their beautiful scent can be appreciated by visitors, such as by the front door.

Once established, Sarcococca will prove to be a generally trouble free shrub. Easy to grow and very robust, you will hardly ever need to prune these plants, other than the occasional snip here and there to keep a good shape. After pruning, apply a generous amount of mulch (about 5-7cm) of well rotted garden compost around the base of the plant. Mix in a handful of multipurpose fertiliser to give an extra feed. Though they prefer well drained, moist soils they will also grow quite happily in lime, chalk or acid soils. Keep sheltered from cold, drying winds.

Sarcococca confusa has a dense, suckering habit which makes it ideal for groundcover. This is the largest and bushiest of varieties, growing to around 6ft, with dark green glossy foliage, heavily scented white flowers and black berries. For a touch of added colour try Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna 'Purple Stem'. Narrow leaves, the young shoots are tinged purple and produces pink flushed flowers and black berries. This variety is also slightly more restrained than the confusa variety reaching heights of around 5ft.

Smallest of the Sarcococca varieties is Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis. This variety is ideal for use as a low hedging plant instead of box (Buxus). Densely branched, dwarf form with pink flowers and again has a suckering habit making it ideal for groundcover, the overall height reaching approximately 3ft. For a non-suckering variety Sarcococca ruscifolia var. chinensis has a low growing, horizontal branching habit and like other Sarcococca's has green foliage and white flowers, but produces red berries rather than black. This particular variety is popular with flower arrangers as it can last for up to 2 weeks in water when cut and the perfume from the flowers will permeate the whole house.

A winter border in the garden can create a colourful and scented display and the use of these plants along with some good companions can give a dull, neglected corner a new lease of life. Try planting your Sarcococca with Daphne mezereum, Lonicera x purpusii and Hamamelis x intermedia (Witch Hazel) and underplant with Crocus and Snowdrops for some added colour.