February is a month of giving sweet sentiments. Enter Sarcococca confusa, or Sweet Box – a lush, glossy evergreen that’s happy to fill a gap in the border, with enticingly sweet, fragrant, creamy white flowers in winter.
You will smell the ‘sweets’ on the air before you know where the scent is originating from, since it wafts around, but the flowers are inconspicuous. It can also be planted in pots either side of the front door to enjoy the scent as you come and go every day. A great, low maintenance plant, its scent reminds us spring is just round the corner. It’s happiest to reside in shade or part shade, but is adaptable to some sun, with plenty of water, though tolerant of drought once established. Honey bees will visit the flowers as they forage in cold weather. After flowering, small red berries darkening to black, are loved by birds. A welcome, sweet fragrance to warm your garden this winter.
Plant it with Daphne, winter flowering heathers (Ericas) and early flowering spring bulbs, in a spot where you can benefit from its lovely sweet fragrance. It only requires light pruning to keep it in shape.