When to plant and prune Christmas Box / Sweet Box
Christmas Box / Sweet Box flowers from mid December to late February and the dates below cover planting, flowering and the pruning window.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Christmas Box / Sweet Box is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Plant | In flower | Prune |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early September to mid October | mid December to late February | late March to mid April |
| South Coast and Channel | early September to mid October | mid December to late February | late March to mid April |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early September to mid October | mid December to late February | late March to mid April |
| South East and Home Counties | early September to mid October | mid December to late February | late March to mid April |
| East Anglia | early September to mid October | mid December to late February | late March to mid April |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early September to mid October | mid December to late February | late March to mid April |
| Wales and West Coast | early September to mid October | mid December to late February | late March to mid April |
| Northern England | early September to mid October | mid December to late February | late March to mid April |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early September to mid October | mid December to late February | late March to mid April |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early September to mid October | mid December to late February | late March to mid April |
| Northern Ireland | early September to mid October | mid December to late February | late March to mid April |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early September to mid October | mid December to late February | late March to mid April |
Growing notes
Small, inconspicuous but powerfully scented winter flowers on a glossy evergreen shrub that actually prefers partial or full shade, followed by black or red berries. One of the best plants for a shady doorway, north-facing bed or dry shade under trees. S. confusa reaches 1.5-2m, S. hookeriana var. digyna suckers to make ground cover, and S. ruscifolia and S. orientalis stay around 1m.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 90 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 150 cm
- Eventual spread
- 120 cm
- Hardiness
- H5
- Sun
- Shade tolerant
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 30 litres or more
- Balcony rating
- 4 out of 5
Pruning group
Not generally needed; if a plant outgrows its space, prune in spring after flowering
What usually goes wrong
- generally untroubled by pests and diseases
- slow to establish in very dry shade
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for christmas box / sweet box.