Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna 'Purple Stem'

sweet box

• Position: partial to deep shade
• Soil: moderately fertile, humus-rich, moist, well- drained soil
• Rate of growth: slow-growing to average
• Flowering period: December to March
• Flower colour: creamy-white
• Other features: the flowers are followed by spherical, black or blue-black berries
• Hardiness: fully hardy
  
  A suckering, evergreen shrub that gradually forms a dense thicket. The new shoots are flushed with an attractive dark purple-pink hue which gradually fades as the stems mature. The stems are clothed with slender, tapering, dark green leaves and in winter sweetly scented, pink-tinged, white flowers appear, which are followed by rounded blue-black fruit.
  
  
• Garden care: In late-winter or early-spring lightly trim or prune back shoots that spoil the plant's symmetry. After pruning apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted compost around the base of the plant.
  
  
  • Eventual Height: 1.5m
  • Eventual Spread: 1.5m
  Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna 'Purple Stem' - sweet box deliciously scented winter flowers