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An old friend, but new to the garden here. This one is quite tiny but it will eventually be an evergreen wonder! The species comes from the himalayas and grows to about six feet tall but this is the smaller variety from western China and is distinguished by having two styles in the flower instead of three. Trees and Shrubs online says: "This is a variety from W. China, introduced in 1908 by Wilson. It is of dwarfer habit than the Himalayan type and is quite hardy. Its chief botanical distinction is in having only two styles to each flower. From S. ruscifolia it is distinct in its black fruits, that species having dark red ones. Award of Garden Merit 1963." The description by Paramount Plants says: "Commonly known as Sweet Box or Christmas Box is a small low growing shrub originating from China and the Himalayas. A compact and bushy evergreen shrub, it forms a lovely small shaped hedge. Essentially a woodland shrub Christmas Box is also excellent for ground cover and under tree planting as it will positively tolerate dry shade. This is a low maintenance shrub which proves very useful for many of those difficult areas in the garden. It will accept atmospheric pollution, dry conditions, shade and almost total neglect and still perform well for you. The fragrance of Sweet Box is glorious and there's nothing more lovely than wandering around the winter garden and smelling its heavenly scent. For this reason alone it's worth planting one of these close to an entrance door." |
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| 1st February 2009 | ||
