Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis Fragrant Mountain
Sweet Box

Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis Fragrant Mountain

£18.99
Hardy in the UKShade-tolerantEvergreen
Pot size
17cm / 2L £18.99

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

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Description

Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis Fragrant Mountain is a sweet box selected for doing everything the ordinary plant does, better: broader, glossier leaves, a fuller habit, and noticeably more of the famous honey-vanilla winter scent. From January to March the stems are packed with creamy white flowers whose fragrance stops people on a path, from a shrub that stays around knee height.

Hardiness and seasons. Hardy through most of the UK (the parent variety is rated H5, around -15C), evergreen all year, flowering in the coldest months and carrying dark berries after. It was selected in British Columbia from thousands of seedlings, chosen for its leaves, vigour and flower power.

In the garden. This is the one to plant beside a door or path you actually use in winter. It thrives in the shade, including dry shade under trees, makes a glossy low informal hedge, and is superb in a pot by the front door. We stock several sweet boxes, including the taller Sarcococca confusa; this is the compact one with the boldest foliage.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Sweet Box

I am happy in shade and I will stand a UK winter outdoors.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About Sweet Box

Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis Fragrant Mountain needs full shade or partial shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is hardy to around −15°C and stands a UK winter outdoors.

Good for

Exotic Borders Pots & Containers Shade

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

RHS H5 · Hardy Exotic · down to around −15°C

Hardy in most of the UK: the parent variety is RHS H5 (-15 to -10C) and growers list this selection to about -15C. Shelter from freezing east winds keeps the winter flowers unmarked. See what to expect from outdoor plants.

Position

Full shadePartial shadeNorth-facingEast-facingWest-facingSheltered

Partial or full shade, north-, east- or west-facing, sheltered; the foliage can yellow in full sun. Put it where you pass in winter, so the scent is actually met.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedWell-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH

Any reasonable soil including chalk and clay, acid to alkaline, well-drained or moist but well-drained. Established plants handle dry shade under trees.

Watering

Water through the first one to two seasons and mulch annually; after that it is one of the lowest-maintenance shrubs we sell. Read moreShow less

Water through the first one to two seasons and mulch annually; after that it is one of the lowest-maintenance shrubs we sell.

Mature size

Height0.6m, occasionally to 0.9m with age (nursery sources; the RHS trade record gives no size)
Spread0.9 to 1.2m, wider than tall

Reaches full size in 5 to 10 years

Growth habit

Bushy

Flowering

January to March (late winter into early spring): abundant small creamy-white flowers with an outsized sweet fragrance, followed by dark berries · White, Cream

Foliage

Evergreen

Pruning

Minimal pruning (treat as RHS group 8/9 evergreen): trim lightly after flowering in spring if shaping is needed. Naturally dense, compact and rounded, wider than tall, so most plants never need cutting.

Toxicity

The berries are ornamental, not edible; keep fruit away from children and pets as a precaution. No RHS toxicity warning is published for the genus.

Native range

West China to the Himalaya (parent variety)

Family

Buxaceae

Also known as

Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis Fragrant Mountain

Genus

Sarcococca
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Fragrant Mountain different from ordinary sweet box?

It was picked from around 5,000 seedlings for a reason: leaves noticeably broader and glossier than the plain variety, a denser habit, and more abundant, more fragrant flowers. Side by side it simply looks and smells like a better plant.

When does it flower, and how strong is the scent?

January to March. The flowers are small, but the scent is wildly out of proportion: sweet, honeyed and far-carrying on mild winter days. One plant by a doorway perfumes the whole entrance.

Will it grow in dry shade under trees?

Yes, and it is one of the best shrubs in existence for exactly that spot. Water it through its first season or two; after that it handles root-filled, dry shade that defeats most plants.

How big does it get?

About 60cm tall and up to a metre wide, staying wider than it is tall. It spreads gently by suckers into a low evergreen carpet, and an occasional trim after flowering keeps it exactly where you want it.

Can I grow it in a pot by the front door?

That is arguably its best use. A generous pot in a shaded porch or doorway gives you glossy evergreen structure all year and that extraordinary scent exactly where you come and go in winter.

Are the berries edible?

No. The dark berries that follow the flowers are ornamental only; keep them away from children and pets as a sensible precaution.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 7 days with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
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Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

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From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

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Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

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Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis Fragrant Mountain
£18.99