Sarcococca hookeriana 'Purple Gem' - Sweet Box
Overview
Sarcococca hookeriana 'Purple Gem' is an outstanding evergreen shrub that deserves a place in every British garden. This compact variety of sweet box offers year-round interest with its glossy foliage and remarkable winter fragrance, making it an invaluable plant for shady spots where little else will thrive.
Key Features
This delightful shrub reaches approximately 60-90cm in height with a similar spread, forming a neat, rounded mound that requires minimal maintenance. The dark green, lance-shaped leaves provide excellent evergreen structure throughout the year, whilst the young stems emerge with an attractive purple tinge that gives this cultivar its name.
Winter Fragrance
The true glory of 'Purple Gem' arrives in late winter, typically from January through March, when clusters of tiny, creamy-white flowers appear along the stems. Though small and inconspicuous, these blooms pack an extraordinary punch, releasing an intensely sweet, honey-like fragrance that can perfume an entire garden on still days. The scent is particularly noticeable near doorways and pathways, making this an ideal plant for positioning where you'll brush past it regularly.
Growing Conditions
'Purple Gem' is remarkably unfussy and positively thrives in shade, making it perfect for those difficult north-facing borders or beneath trees where many plants struggle. It tolerates a wide range of soil types, though it performs best in moist, well-drained soil enriched with organic matter. Once established, it shows good drought tolerance.
The plant is fully hardy throughout the UK, withstanding temperatures well below freezing without complaint. It's equally happy in deep shade as it is in partial shade, though it will tolerate some sun if the soil remains reasonably moist.
Planting and Care
Plant 'Purple Gem' at any time of year, though autumn or spring offers the best conditions for establishment. Dig in plenty of compost or well-rotted manure before planting, and water regularly during the first growing season.
This is a wonderfully low-maintenance plant. It requires no regular pruning, though you can trim it lightly after flowering if you wish to maintain a particular shape or size. It rarely suffers from pests or diseases and will happily look after itself once settled in.
Design Uses
This versatile shrub works beautifully in numerous garden situations. Plant it near entrances or seating areas where you can appreciate the winter fragrance, use it as low hedging along shady pathways, or include it in mixed borders for evergreen structure. It's excellent for woodland gardens and pairs beautifully with hellebores, snowdrops, and ferns.
The compact nature of 'Purple Gem' also makes it suitable for container growing, ideal for patios or small urban gardens where space is at a premium.
Wildlife Value
Following the winter flowers, small black berries develop in late summer and autumn, providing food for birds. The dense evergreen foliage also offers valuable shelter and nesting sites for small birds and beneficial insects throughout the year.
Summary
Sarcococca hookeriana 'Purple Gem' is a genuine garden treasure that punches well above its weight. Undemanding, attractive, and blessed with that extraordinary winter fragrance, it's a plant that will reward you year after year with minimal effort. Whether you're an experienced gardener or just starting out, this charming shrub deserves serious consideration for your garden.
Buying Shrubs from Jacksons Nurseries
At Jacksons Nurseries we sell a variety of shrubs both evergreen and deciduous with a variety of flowering times throughout the year. At certain times of the year our shrubs you buy from us may not look like the images shown on our website when deciduous leaves have fallen, the shrub has finished flowering or has been trimmed back.
Some leaves on evergreen shrubs can be damaged in winter by frost or harsh winds but in spring new leaves will readily replace those damaged. This is quite normal on many evergreen varieties and is preferable to plants grown with excessive protection that show cold shock once planted out and establish less satisfactory initially.
Availability: Stock availability figures are provided as a guide only. There is a delay between orders being placed and the plants being gathered by our pulling team. During this time it may be possible for a member of the public to purchase these plants from our Garden Centre, while this is rare it is a possibility and we will notify you of any problems as soon as possible. This figure may also include plants that have not yet be flagged as unsaleable.
Pre-order: Pre-order times are given as a guide only and may vary dependent on the growing season. Orders containing Pre-ordered products will be shipped as a single order when all items become available. Large orders may be part shipped, please contact us on 01782 502741 or email sales@jacksonsnurseries.co.uk.
* Please Note: Shrubs in 20 litre pots and above might require a pallet delivery starting at £79.99 per pallet. Depending on the exact pot size and height it may be possible to get approximately 5 plants per pallet at no extra cost. The maximum height we can dispatch on a pallet is 2.0m, this includes the height of the pallet and pot.
Shrubs are deciduous or evergreen woody plants, and often provide fragrant flowers, berries and foliage. They are good for structural framework, and they can provide a wonderful shelter and food source for wildlife.
Planting and Conditions
Container grown shrubs can be grown at any time of year. It is a little known fact that shrubs planted in the autumn and winter will be easier to look after than those planted in the spring and summer, because they will have time to establish and become hardy in the cooler months.
Plant the shrub at the same depth as it was in its original pot. Planting too deeply can result in root and stem rot.
One of the biggest causes of death in new shrubs is drought stress, so keep it well watered until it’s established.
Make sure you loosen the soil prior to planting. Most shrubs are tolerant of most soil types as long as it is fairly well draining.
Most shrubs will grow happily in containers, but they will be much more demanding on feeding and watering than shrubs in the ground would be. They will also need potting on every couple of years so that they don’t suffocate or become stunted in their pot.
Aftercare and Pruning
Once established, shrubs generally do not require much water. However, at first they need careful, frequent watering and should not be left to dry out.
Shrubs in the ground are generally not demanding and in most cases, annual feeding with general purpose fertilizer will suffice. Shrubs in containers may need more feeding; usually from early spring until late summer.
Shrubs also benefit from mulching in order to supress weeds, conserve moisture and provide vital nutrients. Mulch also greatly improves soil conditions. Shrubs can be mulched in late winter, after fertiliser has been applied, but it can be mulched through autumn to late spring as long as the ground is damp.
All shrubs benefit from dead-heading once spent flowers become apparent. Rhododendrons and Lilac especially benefit from the removal of dead flowers.
Some shrubs may show signs of reverted growth or ‘sporting’. This is where random shoots of different leaves associated with the plant’s parentage begin to appear. Most commonly this is where plants with variegated leaves sprout pure green growths instead of variegated ones.
To control reversion, remove reverted shoots promptly to discourage them. Reverted shoots are usually much more vigorous than the variegated ones, and thus should be completely pruned out and cut back into wood containing variegated foliage.
Potential Issues
Although shrubs are usually very robust garden plants, they can sometimes start to decline with no apparent or obvious reason.
This will start with browning leaves, which could indicate plant stress due to lack of water or waterlogging, an establishment failure or, in the worst case scenario, honey fungus. Another cause of leaf browning is a high salt content in the soil. This could be a natural occurrence, especially if you live near the ocean, or it could be from over fertilisation.
To remedy a high salt content, cut back on fertiliser and step up your watering regime for the next few weeks. If you live by the ocean, this will be harder to remedy—but stepping up your watering will help to wash some of the salt away all the same.
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