How to grow Fragrant Sweet Box (Sarcococca ruscifolia) with detailed description

This video is a detailed description of Fragrant Sweet Box. Sweet Box is a shade loving evergreen shrub that works well in a woodland garden or as a foundation plant. Sweet Box has amazing fragrant white flowers in the late winter and early spring. Similar bloom time to Winter Daphne and a similar fragrance to Fragrant Tea Olive. This low growing evergreen shrub can be kept under 3 feet in height.

Fragrant Sweet Box
Sarcococca ruscifolia

Jim has over 30 years experience in the green industry and is the current owner of Earthworks Nursery.

30 Allen Rd. Clayton, NC 27520

[Hookedonfaith-akasandramoody]

I just recently stumbled onto your channel and I don't think I've seen anyone else that's as detailed as you are. Thanks for that. Sometimes just one bit of information can make the difference between success and failure. Really enjoying what I've seen so far. 🌺

[joannedavidson]

This video explains why my sweetbox died. Now I know how to look after it, I've just ordered another one. Thank you.

[lorettamuraltholstein]

We have four of these plants, and oh what a fragrance. Mine really grow during the summer and I trimmed them later because they had very long shoots. They are blooming now in the compact shaped plant, but I trimmed them too late and they don't have the long stems that I usually cut to bring into the house. I think I will trim it sooner in the summer this year. I live in Tigard, OR, near Portland. What a grand plant this is....with the fragrance of a gardenia .... VERY SWEET! God sure creates wonderful plants!

[JudyG]

I plant a lot of these because they are truly deer proof in my yard. Nice plants. I didn't know about them until Jim. Thanks Jim!

[stephaniewaltman]

I’ve got a Himalayan Sweet Box, big box store clearance shelf (or as I call it, “the plant graveyard”) purchase last fall, which went all the way through winter in its pot; has shoots coming out the pot bottom holes and some die-back in the shrub—so time to get this little guy in the ground pronto! I think it is a smaller cultivar from the same family of the sweet box shown in the video. I am so grateful for details on how to plant it, for example, the tip of elevating it up about 2” and mixing something into my clay soil. Thank you so much, Jim Putnam!

[dianegentry]

Great info Jim. Bought 2 of these at Homewoods sale this week. Was looking for shade plants. Was excited to find this in-depth info on your channel! Thank you!

[rick-glynistanner]

Excellent overviews - detailed, sensible, thorough - very useful for selecting specimens for our garden. Good job! Love the pup!!

[lynatno]

Thanks so much. You answered all my questions and two I hadn’t thought of. 😊

[patricksteinmetz]

Outstanding video tutorial. Thank you for posting this.

[EireFirst]

Fuppin great information, just discovered your videos, very helpful, thank you 👍👍

[nima]

perfect for entrance and near my porch which is heavily shaded by the eaves of my roof and porch and thus also very dry. I already have a ton of fragrant plants there too!

[delfromarkley]

I planted a few around a small garden in Vancouver, Canada. Just now, late January, they are starting to bloom, so I clipped a few short cuttings and they make excellent fragrant indoor arrangements.

[catherinec]

My plant was a slow grower at first but many years in and I have to prune this thing every year. It grows pretty fast for me. It is absolutely wonderful when it blooms. The scent is heavenly. I usually cut some branches that are getting too long and bring it inside. One of my favorites on the north side of my house.

[phylliscooley]

Deer totally munched on mine! Of course my luck...trying to figure out if I should move them to a protected area.

[brianmcallister]

Hi Jim,

Excellent thorough description. I just acquired a mature sarcococca from a client’s garden. It’s already about 3 feet in height. I’ve lifted it and want to transplant to my own garden. Do you think it’s a plant that can survive the trauma of getting moved? I’ve been careful to get the whole rootball and soil intact. Many thanks for any info.

[barbarawall]

Thank you for all you do and how you do it. I so enjoy your channel, can you suggest other dry shade plants?

[zanboorzanboor]

What is the best condition to grow sweet box seeds please?
Your advice on the subject was first class. Thank you

[dahlia]

Hi Jim. I'm in the south of Ireland and we have two of these plants. One that's been there well over a decade and the other that just seeded itself, I think, I definitely didn't plant it. Anyway I've got roses beside the older one that really don't do well and bulbs on either side of the newer one that never do well either. Is it because of this plant? If so, can you recommend something I can plant near it that will do well.

[gingermaltman]

Hi Jim! I picked up a couple of sweet box today (stumbled onto them!). Would they be happy in a container on a deck for a year or two? I am doing some major planting bed renovations and haven't made a number of decisions yet, so the final home is yet to be determined. We have a northside deck that could be the temporary home, but I probably should repot them into something just a bit

[ulasocal]

Hello, I want to grow this plant in a pot in a semi-shaded and semi-airy environment on my glass balcony. Generally, one or two windows are open. Can I grow it in this environment? Its north face and receives morning sun for 1 or 2 hours in summer.