Sarcococca hookeriana Winter Gem

Sarcococca 'Winter Gem' is one of those evergreen shrubs with early flowering that announces its presence by perfuming the air in the early days of spring, leading the intrigued visitor, and invariably won over, to the shady corner filled with roots that it seems to be satisfied with. However, this Sarcococca deserves more attention: evergreen, with a compact habit and adorned with beautiful glossy foliage, it turns purple in late winter with young shoots and fragrant flowers tinged with pink-purple. Perfect in shade or semi-shade, ideal for small gardens and well-suited for container gardening, it establishes slowly but surely, and will live for many years without specific requirements. Nevertheless, it will be much more beautiful in a humus-rich, light soil that retains moisture.

Sarcococca 'Winter Gem' is the result of cross-breeding between Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis, a low, suckering, very compact shrub, and S. hookeriana 'Purple Stem'. Sarcococca hookeriana is a ramified rhizomatous shrub belonging to the boxwood family, closely related to Boxwood, native to western China and the Himalayas. It is commonly found in the evergreen forests of these regions.

The 'Winter Gem' variety forms a small, dense, vigorous, and compact shrub. Its slightly arched stems are initially purple and then brown. It will not exceed 70 to 80cm (27.6 to 31.5in) in all directions after many years, as its growth is quite slow. Its elegant foliage is evergreen and leathery. It is shiny, initially pink-purple when budding and then becomes quite dark green. The leaves are entire, oblong-lanceolate, and very elongated, measuring 6-9cm (2.4-3.5in) in length. The flowers, surrounded by pink bracts, appear from the month of February, sometimes alongside the black fruits, creating a beautiful contrast. They are gathered in short clusters in the axil of the leaves, along the branches. They measure no more than 3 to 5mm (0.1 to 0.2in) in length, are devoid of petals, showing only well-developed white stamens. This highly fragrant flowering lasts for about 2 months, depending on the climate.

Sarcococca is such an undemanding shrub that it is often relegated to dry and shady corners of the garden. It is easy to acclimate in most of our regions due to its good hardiness and tolerance to dry soils. Despite its modest size, it charms with its deliciously fragrant flowering. While it grows slowly, much like dwarf conifers, it knows how to blend in during the summer but effectively structures small spaces in winter and requires very little. It has the advantage of bringing a touch of spring to the garden during the winter season, similar to Mahonias that can accompany it. It can be cultivated in borders, under trees, low hedges, or ground cover. It only fears excessively chalky soils and can tolerate competition from tree roots. It is perfect in the company of ferns, witch hazels, Skimmias, Aucubas, or azaleas. You can even grow it in containers.