Don't expect Sarcococca hookeriana to have large opulent flowers, an elegant silhouette, or exuberant foliage. This little shade bush plays the card of discretion… to surprise you! In winter, it reveals a discreet yet incredibly fragrant flowering, exuding sweet and enchanting notes. Hardy, evergreen, and easy to care for, it stands out as a valuable ally for shaded gardens and low hedges.
The Enchanting Fragrance of Sarcococca in the Heart of Winter
The Sarcococca hookeriana has dark green foliage, pristine all year round that does not take on the gaudy colours that some euonymus or maples can display in autumn. It has a modest size that allows it to easily hide beneath shrubs and even under conifers. Its flowers consist of a few white stamens barely exceeding 5 mm in length, and its fruits are not pink or bright red, but black, well camouflaged in the foliage.
So, what is the point of this shrub in the garden? Aside from its compact size and evergreen foliage, and the fact that it can grow in dry shade, the Sarcococca hookeriana has a significant advantage that few shrubs possess: fragrance!
Taking advantage of the vegetative rest of its little companions, it is in winter, around January-February, that the Sarcococca spreads its ostentatious scents. Its fragrance can travel several dozen metres from the plant, so much so that when it is in flower, it is hard to imagine that such a small shrub, barely exceeding 80 cm in height, can be so fragrant. If the intensity of its fragrance were equal to the size of its flowers, then we would be treated to monstrous flowers, flowers that are quite disproportionate to the size of the shrub.
A Winter Flowering Well Adapted to the Cold
It is precisely thanks to these insignificant flowers, reduced to a small bouquet of stamens, that the shrub can flower in winter. They have retained the bare minimum to withstand the cold, with the petals (referred to here as tepals) forming a scaly covering that protects the organs from the cold. And upon closer inspection, we see that the inflorescences are equipped with male and female flowers, which is why the Sarcococca is classified as a monoecious shrub.
With the flowers being naturally protected, on one hand by the evergreen foliage of the shrub and on the other hand, by the foliage of surrounding trees or shrubs, they can bloom without issue during frost and diffuse their fragrance at -10°C, which is a blessing in the heart of winter.
Which Varieties of Sarcococca hookeriana to Choose?
There are several varieties of Sarcococca hookeriana, notably the variety Sarcococca hookeriana var. Digyna, which is relatively close to the typical species, distinguished by its thinner, narrower leaves and especially by its cream-coloured anthers, and the variety humilis (Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis), which shares the same characteristics but forms a truly suckering and more prostrate bush than the others.
Comments