Himalayan Sweet Box. This plant could well be called the "aristocrat of ground covers." It makes a suckering shrubby mat of 12 to 16" high and has white fragrant apetalous flowers in January and February followed by black berries. Requiring shade as all others of this genus, this one is probably the most cold-hardy of the group. One of the best plantings I have seen of this species is at Magnolia Gardens, just outside of Charleston, SC which is Zone 9. This is a wonderful plant for massing under larger shrubs to tie them all together. Native to Western Himalayans and Afghanistan. Sarcococcas are some of the best evergreen, dry shade shrubs imaginable. One can choose from the low groundcover type in S. hookerana humilis, or the pendulous S. saligna, or the compact S. orientalis, or the red berried S. ruscifolia, or the largest grower in S. confusa. All have apetalous (without petals) fragrant flowers in the late fall or winter. In the second Photo, one can see from left to right: S. orientalis, S. hookerana humilis and S. saligna. Zones 6-9
