Confused Sweet Box
Sarcococca x confusa
Plant Details
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 7b-10b Find Your Zone
Plant Type: Evergreen Flowering Shrub
Height at Maturity: 3-5′
Width at Maturity: 3-5′
Spacing: 2-3′ for hedges, 6’+ for space between plants
Spacing: 2-3′ for hedges, 6’+ for space between plants
Growth Habit / Form: Arching, Bushy, Global, Mounding, Upright,
Growth Rate: Slow to Moderate
Flower Color: White
Flower Size: Small
Flowering Period: Mid-Winter to Early Spring
Flower Type: Single
Fragrant Flowers: Yes!
Foliage Color: Very Dark Green
Fragrant Foliage: No
Berries: Yes
Berry Color: Black
Sun Needs: Morning Sun w/Dappled or Afternoon Shade, Afternoon Sun w/Morning Shade, All Day Filtered Sun or Dappled Shade
Water Needs: Average, lower when established
Soil Type: Clay (amended), Loam, Sand (amended), Silt (amended)
Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well-Drained Moist
Soil pH: 5.0 – 8.0 (Acid to Alkaline)
Maintenance / Care: Very Low
Attracts: Birds
Resistances / Tolerances: Deer, Disease, Drought(when established), Heavy Shade, Insect, Rabbit
Description
The Confused Sweet Box, sometimes commonly referred to as “Christmas Box,” is a wonderful, slow to moderate growing evergreen shrub with exceptional toughness and durability, making it a very easy to grow plant. It features small, white, deliciously fragrant flowers from mid winter to early spring, followed by showy, glossy black fruit on mounding plants clothed with glossy, wavy, dark green leaves. Sarcococca x confusa has never been seen in the wild and is most likely a hybrid. A great, totally underused plant for shade with exceptional drought and air pollution tolerance when established. It also has very good resistance to pests and disease. Perfect for use under large shade trees, they are also a great groundcover. What more could we ask for in a shrub!
Landscape & Garden Uses
Growing in a somewhat dense mound with arching stems 3 to 5 feet tall with an equal spread, the Confused Sweetbox is an ideal evergreen for shade or woodland gardens. It also is a perfect choice in shady home foundation plantings or as a specimen in smaller garden spaces or containers. In woodland gardens it serves well as a specimen, in groupings, or as a natural, low hedge and is perfect for growing under large trees where not much else will grow. Plant near outdoor living and sitting spaces so the sweet fragrance of the flowers can be enjoyed from close up.
If you’re looking to create a theme garden, Confused Sweet Box is ideal selection for sensory gardens. Other suitable theme gardens are Asian, container, cottage, fragrance, perennial, rock, xeriscape (low water needs) and around water gardens.
Spacing: 2-3′ for hedges, 6’+ for space between plants
How To Measure Square Feet of A Planting Area
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Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7b, where Confused Sweet Box is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.
Growing Preferences
The Confused Sweet Box is easy to grow when planted right and in the right spot. It adapts to most soil types, preferring a well-drained moist, acid or alkaline soil, and likes shade or partial shade. Morning sun is tolerated well. It is quite drought tolerant when established. As with many other plants, a constantly soggy or wet soil can be problematic.
Note: Find helpful advice from our experts under the Planting & Care tab above on desktop monitors or below on mobile devices.
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As a recent home buyer with a nearly bare front yard, I have a list of plants I hope to acquire. Most are not available at my local big-box garden centers, so I have turned to mail order. Most of the plants I have bought must be called “aspirational.” They ASPIRE to be shrubs or perennials, but right now, they’re really just sticks with a few leaves. This is not true of the Sarcococca confusa sweet box I recently purchased from Wilson Brothers. This is a beautiful, healthy, leafy, actively growing one gallon plant. It survived shipping just fine without so much as a single wilted or yellowed leaf. It is a young, but mature plant that didn’t even seem to notice that it has been planted out more than 1500 miles from it’s original home. It doesn’t bloom until winter, but I am absolutely certain it will bloom THIS winter – not 3-5 years from now. I am very happy with this plant!—————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
I bought one of these last year for a shady wet area that also gets summer sun for a month or so. It’s a slow grower but the foliage is a glossy green year-round and it’s blooming already. This winter I bought 6 more to fill in the rest of the foundation on that side of the house. Will have to be patient but will be worth the wait. Packing is always stellar from y’all and plants are always in great condition. Thanks!—————————————Hi JB, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Confused Sweet Box. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
Arrived in nice condition, very healthy appearing and roots were not pot-bound. The packaging was superb. I have planted 10 in this past month, very dry and hot conditions, and all are looking great so far.——————————————–Hi Maura, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Confused Sweet Box. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words!
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
The plant arrived after its blooming season nice and healthy. The shrub arrived healthy, potted and was around 6″ tall. I left the plant outside in a shady area in the backyard for a few days before potting it. The plant is thriving and I’m looking forward to seeing it grow bigger and bloom this coming winter.————————————-WBG Reply: Hi Gardener214, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Confused Sweet Box. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come!
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
The plant was in very good condition and packed well. The only problem I had was that there was no tag or label on or in the plant pot. I don’t know whether this is normal or a mistake. —————– WBG Reply: Hi Polly – Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review. On a very few of the rare and unusual plants we offer there are no plant tags available. We usually put a hand-made tag on the plant however this must have been overlooked. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I’ll make sure to mention it to our packaging crew. Hope you enjoy your Sarcococca for many years to come. One of my personal favorite plants! Let us know if there’s ever anything we can help you with! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens
I was very impressed with the service and expert way my shrub was carefully packaged and the prompt delivery. I will be ordering again and again from them. —————– WBG Reply: Hi Wanda – Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review and for the compliments. Hope you enjoy your Sarcococca plant for many years to come. I’ve had a patch of them growing in my own gardens for years. Great evergreen plant for shade that is way underused! Let us know if there’s ever anything we can help you with! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens
This plant arrived in excellent shape. I’m always impressed with how well the plants from Wilson Bros Gardens are packaged. So far the plant looks healthy and will be fun to see how it grows and blooms. ——- WBG Reply: Hi Charlotte – Confused Sweet Box is an interesting name for a plant. We’re not exactly sure where the name came from? Maybe because it produces flowers in the winter?
Or because it’s thought to be a hybrid that has never been seen in the wild, so it’s not sure and “confused” about what it really is? Either way, it’s a great plant, and waaaaay underused…but not in our gardens and now not in yours! Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review and your compliments. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. Plant Long & Prosper! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens
Or because it’s thought to be a hybrid that has never been seen in the wild, so it’s not sure and “confused” about what it really is? Either way, it’s a great plant, and waaaaay underused…but not in our gardens and now not in yours! Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review and your compliments. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. Plant Long & Prosper! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens

























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