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Sarcococca confusa [ sar - koh - KOH - kuh , kon - FEW - suh ] belongs to the Buxaceae ( box ) family of industrial plant .
As with other industrial plant in the box family unit , the sweet-smelling box works is an evergreen shrub with slurred foliage .
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The sweet olfactory property of sarcococca confusa gives it the common name “ sweet box . ”
The sweet corner plant is aboriginal to China , but it ’s adaptable to a wide range of area , making it an easy plant to cultivate .
Sweet Box Plant Care
Size and Growth
The angelical box Sarcococca plant is an evergreen plant shrub with sheeny green leaves .
The foliation is dense , with stem growing outwards from cardinal woody branches .
The leaves are ovoid and may come along guggle .
The plant typically turn over about 7′ feet grandiloquent and 3′ metrical foot wide .
It may take about five to seven eld for sarcococca confusa to reach its full acme .
Flowering and Fragrance
Sarcococca confusa blooms in the later wintertime or early spring .
It produces low white flowers with thin petals .
The flush grow a strong scent of love , draw a form of wildlife and pollinators , include hiss and bees .
After the efflorescence season , small blackberries appear . Birds run to eat on the berries and scatter the seeds .
Light and Temperature
Sarcococca confusa is an adaptable plant , arise easily in most lighting condition .
However , it get best in partial tad or full shade .
Full sunshine may discolorise the leave a short , but it ’s possible in cool climate with moist soil .
These plants are wintertime hardy in USDA zones 7 to 9 .
In zone 6 , where temperatures may reach -10 ° degrees Fahrenheit ( -23 ° C ) , the works may survive outside with aegis from the coldness .
TIP : tote up a stratum of mulch around the bush should protect the roots during insensate winters .
If grown in a container and retain indoors , avoid placing the flora near a windowpane with direct afternoon sun .
Place it in a partially shaded elbow room with good air circulation .
Watering and Feeding
Water the plant moderately if the area does n’t obtain a lot of rainfall .
Check the grime on a regular basis . If the top several inch are dry , body of water thoroughly .
While untried plants can survive poor periods of drouth , the soil should remain moist for optimal development .
After the plant is established , it requires less pee .
Unless the part receive protracted period of drought , established plants may not call for lacrimation .
append fluid fertilizer encourages goodly increase .
shuffle a liquid plant food with water according to the labeled directions .
apply the fertilizer / water mixture once per month during the spring and summer .
Soil and Transplanting
Use a fertile , well - drained land . The soil should contain lots of organic matter .
If the existing garden soil is wry or lightly colour , add humous or peat moss to better wet retention .
Before constitute young works in a garden , rake extra organic affair into the soil .
Leaf mold or store - bought compost material help deliver more nutrients to the industrial plant , allow it to speedily take root .
If grown in a container , transplantation every other year to refresh the land .
As the plant postulate rich soil , it needs on occasion replacing to prevent rot and fungal growth .
Grooming
Prune the plant in the spring and again after bloom to operate the size of it and shape .
utilise sharp horticulture shears and crop the leafage back to the desired distance .
How to Propagate Sarcococca Confusa
Propagate with seed or cuttings .
To propagate with cuttings , quality semi - hardwood sections of the stem in the late summer .
Sarcococca Confusa Pest or Disease Problems
The plant is deer - resistant and mostly barren of pest and disease problems .
Potential issues include fungal maturation from overwatering in cool regions .
If the plant develops powdery mildew ( white growth ) on the leaves , confine lachrymation and slay the stirred part of the plant .
Learn more onHow To Control Powdery Mildew here
Sarcococca confusa is n’t know to produce toxic effects when ingested .
It ’s still a good musical theme to keep children or pet away from the plant , particularly when the small blackberry bush appear .
While the berries are not study toxic , ingest them may cause meek stomach irritation .
Suggested Sweet Box Plant Uses
Sarcococca confusa is often grown near social organization providing partial or full shade , avail to fetch life to areas where other plants may not grow easily .
Add a seraphic box bush near a shed , garage , or the side of the house .
