Sweet & Lo sweet box is a short evergreen shrub that marks winter's end with its fragrant flowers that feed early pollinators. This boxwood relative loves the shade and has a low, gently spreading habit that recommends it as a space filler.
Common name: Sweet & Lo sweet box
Botanical name: Sarcococca hookeriana 'Purplerij1'
Exposure: Part to full shade
Flowers: Clusters of small, frilly flowers with a sweet fragrance appear in very early spring. The narrow petals are white with dark pink tips. Small black berries follow the flowers.
Foliage: Long, narrow oval-shaped leaves are dark green in color. They are evergreen and leathery in texture. The new growth in spring is a lighter shade of green.
Related: For another evergreen, early-blooming fragrant shrub, this one with variegated foliage, check out Banana Split daphne.
Habit: Sweet & Lo sweet box has upright stems that form a mound 18 to 30 inches tall and 24 to 36 inches wide. It can spread from the base by suckers, but it is easy to control.
Origin: The species Sarcococca hookeriana is native to China and the western Himalayas. Sweet & Lo ('Purplerij1') is a cultivar introduced to the garden market by Proven Winners ColorChoice in 2024.
How to grow it: Plant Sweet & Lo sweet box in a spot that receives shade for most or all of the day. It prefers well-drained, acidic soil and grows best with consistent moisture. Suckering growth from the base of the plant can be removed in spring to control the width if desired. Other pruning for shape should be done just after the shrub flowers, to avoid removing the flower buds, which form in summer and open the following spring. USDA Zones 5–9.
Images courtesy of Proven Winners
