Sweet Box Sarcococca orientalis

Christmas Box is a small, evergreen shrub with a slow to moderate growth rate, but a long life span, and a preference for shady sites. The plant uses suckers to form colonies and, with a mature height of about 3 feet, makes an excellent ground cover. The plant is drought tolerant and deer resistant. It is a winter blooming plant, producing fragrant white flowers from January to March and shiny green foliage year round. Christmas Box can be planted in groups for a great perfume effect during the coldest days of the year. The genus name comes from the Greek words sarkos meaning flesh and kokkos meaning a berry in reference to the fleshy fruits. The species name reflects the plant's oriental native environment.

Christmas Box does best in part shade in organically rich, acidic, well-drained soil. Once established, it required limited watering. It does prefer shade and placement in full sun can lead the leaves to turn yellow. Established plants have some drought tolerance and are cold hardy to about -10 F. You can prune the shrub in spring after flowering to maintain an attractive shape and desired height.

Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests.

VIDEO created by Ryan Contreras for “Landscape Plant Materials I:  Deciduous Hardwoods and Conifers or Landscape Plant Materials II:  Spring Flowering Trees and Shrubs” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University