Sarcococca

Please let me know if you've had luck growing sweet box and under what conditions (especially if live close to my zone). And which do you find to be more fragrant. And can you describe the fragrance LOL. Any pictures would also be great!

I have wanted one of those since I saw them on Flower Scent Gardens website. Unfortunately, they are not hardy here in zone 5. Good luck in your research.

Hey Denise - out of the 4 I got last year - 1 was given in trade and I kept 3. 2 of those have survived coming up on a year since I purchased them. The one that I don't think made it...struggled for some time...not sure what happened with him. The other 2 are seemingly fine although very slow to put on growth. They're in mostly shade all day...maybe a little bit of sun toward day's end. I mixed up decent soil with my clay and that's what they were put in. Really haven't done much else. Sadly if they bloomed toward end of winter...I missed it...ugh!! I really don't go into the back yard much during the winter...so that was my fault.

I was trying to remember which Sweet Box Flower Scent Gardens was selling. Do you recall? There are 2 that I'm thinking about trying. I'm under the impression that they're relatively slow growers.

This was how it was listed: Sarcococca confuse ‘Christmas Box’
I know when I had googled it there were many that sounded similar but this was the one that was consistently described as having a great scent.

If you can believe it, I still have a copy of the 2007 catalog in which it appears. (yep, I'm a sick woman) I can fax you a copy of the page if you like.

Another good source for information is the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants by Michael A. Dirr. A lot of libraries carry it. And Sarcococca is in it, I just looked it up.(yep, I got my own copy, I told you I was a sick woman)

Actually, I think I still have the Flower Scent Garden catalog, too, now that you mention it. I kept it because I'd ordered a bunch of plants and wanted to keep it for reference. Nothing wrong with keeping informed :~) That's the main reason I stay subscribed to Dave's Garden. Better than a library of gardening books LOL. And, believe me, I've got plenty of those, too.

The subscribers to DG have got a better sense of humor than most gardening books, too.

So true, so true :~)

*raising hand* I too still have my FSG catalog...and for the same reasons listed above...yes, I too have issues!!!

LOL, Chantell, do you mean issues or do you mean i-s-s-u-e-s ;~)

I just love reading those despriptions. over and over and over and over- sick woman, happy gardener)

* edited to add below

Okay, do you have the 2006 catalog, and the 2005? Not that there's anything wrong with that I just want to make sure I'm not the only one........

This message was edited May 2, 2008 12:30 PM

I think the only one I have is the last one. I believe I threw the others I had away. Incase you didn't know, Select Seeds is carrying some of the plants from Flower Scent Gardens.

I know, I got some White lily verbena there this year. Thier describtion isn't as good as Glen's though.

"The magnificent perfume it releases reminds me of lily of the valley. I am addicted to this wonderful fragrance for it is that amazing.".

Makes you want 10 of them. And I didn't think they carry Old Royal Fragrance verbena. I was never able to get that from Glen. Always sold out on me.

I really wanted the rose-scented monarda from the 2007 catalog. I think that was a crop failure, so I couldn't get it. Maybe someone on DG will share a cutting someday.

Okay, I have got to put that catalog away-- it's dangerous for me.

Yes, I know what you mean. I miss Glen, his plants and his descriptions of them.

Well, I ordered 3 Sarcococca confuse from Lazy S's. I wanted to give those babies time to put some growth on LOL. We'll find out how they do here in the border land of it's hardiness :~)

This message was edited May 6, 2008 9:08 PM

Good Luck!!!!

Please keep us posted on their progress. If they work for you, I want to try it too.

Reminds me...need to go out and fertilize my babies...bless their hearts....out of sight out of mind....they're in the shady area of the yard not visible from the sliding door....poor things....

all my 4 are doing well. they were planted 1 year ago, inground, mostly shade. slow growers but I don't mind.

I'll definitely keep you updated on their progress here in Zone 6! They should be here any day :~)

Just dumped some water/fish emulsion on em this AM...poor things...Sure they'll appreciate some attention ^_^

OK...I received 3 Sweet Box from Lazy S's. They arrived in good condition. I've put them in pots for now until I can plant them. Sorry it took so long to post the pics. It's been crazy here LOL.

I'm not near you but I got them and they are slow growers. By coincidence, I noticed today I have something that looks like blooms. yipee

mine are in bright shade, inground.

Yay on new plants! Are they all the same cultivar?

How slow growing are they? A few inches a year?

My experience = VERY slow maybe a few inches - if that

zville123, my sarcoccocca looked like yours where I received it last year (or was it the year before). Chantell, was it last year or year before?

It is about 8" X 8" but no trouble at all. I have 4 of these and hope that eventually they will grow together, hopefully before year 3000.

This message was edited Jun 4, 2008 4:07 PM

well, what do you know. I went to post this in the PF and noticed I posted a pic when I first got them. The pic shown immediately above this post is exactly 1 year later.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/81925/

Last year, Nery...and I may need to be corrected guess they did put on a bit of growth...just seems slow I guess compared to others. I'd forgotten how small they were when we got them...LOL

yeah, looking at pics, they don't seem as slow

Are there any tips on pruning for bushiness or just let them go?

Sarcococca confusa is the species I ordered.

mine are rather bushy, I don't see a need for that. Eventually, when the four join together, I imagine I will do some light pruning to shape it into a nice hedge.

I have some Sarcoccoa confusa that I got from Wayside about 20 years ago. Definite shade lovers in my zone 8b+ yard. As I recall they were slow at first but after the third year they will take off. They make a great pest-free shrub. However, in all of those years they have never opened their blossoms. Each year beginning around Oct or Nov they are covered in rice grain sized buds which (about this time of year) brown and fall off without opening. They should bloom in the winter. If anyone has any idea why the buds don't open, please let me know. The plants have enough merits to grow even without the blooms though.

Hmmm, that's very interesting Manchac. Off the top off my head, I'm not recalling the hardiness of these bushes. I'll have to refresh my memory. Perhaps if someone else in your zone can give some info on how it's done for them, that would be great!

Thanks, zville. They are not common around here. In fact, mine are the only ones I've ever seen. I think they are more usually grown in zones 6&7. But we have had a few unusually cold winters and still no blossoms opened.

Figured out, I think, why one of mine died, one's looking sickly and the other's fine. The one that's fine gets the least amount of sun. I thought that area was mostly in shade during the day...hmmm, figured out it's not. Sheesh...only been in the house for SIX years...duh!! Moved the "sickly" baby to opposite side of yard closer to house - WILL get only min direct sun there...fingers crossed.