dwarf sweet box
© Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks
© Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks
Small, evergreen, shade-loving shrubs are hard to find in the Northwest, but this sweetbox fits the bill with its fragrant white flowers in early spring and blue-black berries in summer. This plant may also be used as a ground cover.
Plant Type: shrub
Foliage Type: evergreen
Plant Height (10-year): 1 ft. 6 in. (0.46 meters)
Plant Width/Spread (10-year): 2 ft. 0 in. (0.61 meters)
Plant Height-Mature: 2 ft. 0 in. (0.61 meters)
Plant Width-Mature: 4 ft. 0 in. (1.22 meters)
Hardiness: USDA Zones 6 to 9
Flower Color: white
Flowering Time: spring
Sun/Light Exposure: light, open, dappled, or deep shade
Water Requirements: drought tolerant once established, but appreciates occasional water during very long dry spells
Seasonal Interest: tiny fragrant flowers in winter along with year-round dark evergreen foliage
Resistant to: deer
Sweet box grows best in light to deep shade in locations protected from hot afternoon sun. It prefers a rich moist to well-drained soil, but will tolerate sandy locations and clay if the drainage is adequate. Once established it is drought tolerant, but appreciates occasional watering during long, dry spells. It is slow to become established, often taking a couple of years to settle in. Little pruning is needed other than the occasional removal of dead or broken branches. In severe and sudden cold snaps it can defoliate, but it will leaf out in spring.
Text and photos ©2020 Great Plant Picks/Elisabeth Carey Miller Garden except where otherwise noted
Funded by the Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation, The Seattle Times, and Individual Donors
Administered by the Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden