Sarcococca humulis (Dwarf)
Notify MeSweet box earns its keep in the middle of winter. From June the small creamy-white flowers of Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis open along the stems, each one a tuft of narrow petals with crimson anthers, and their scent is strong enough to stop you on a path and make you look for the source. Black berries follow. The leaves are narrow, glossy and evergreen.
Its real value is that it thrives where almost nothing does. Plant it in dry shade under established trees, along a shaded fence line, beside a north-facing wall, or in the narrow bed by a front door where the winter scent will be walked past every day. It also grows well in a shaded container and takes clipping into a low edge.
Give it partial to full shade in soil improved with compost. Once established it tolerates dry shade, atmospheric pollution and general neglect better than most shrubs, which is why it turns up so often in courtyards and city gardens. It suckers gently to form a neat spreading clump rather than running, so it fills a space slowly and stays where it is put.
Reaches around 0.5 to 0.8 m tall and 0.5 m to 1 m across over five to ten years.
Trimming: Very little needed. Shorten any stems that spoil the shape straight after flowering in late winter, and remove suckers from the edge of the clump with a spade if it is outgrowing its space. It takes light clipping as a low hedge.
Deadheading: Leave the flowers to set berries, which follow through the year and are part of the plant's interest. No deadheading is required.
Fertilising: Mulch with compost or leaf mould each spring, and add a light slow-release fertiliser where it is competing with tree roots. Feeding matters more in dry shade than it does in an open bed.
Watering: Water regularly through the first two summers while it establishes, which takes a while. After that it copes with dry shade, though a deep watering in a long dry spell keeps the foliage glossy.
Pest Control: Largely trouble free. Scale insects occasionally settle on stems in still sheltered positions and are treated with horticultural oil.
Disease Management: Generally healthy. Root rot in waterlogged ground is the main risk, so improve drainage on heavy clay before planting rather than afterwards.
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