Orientalis is said to have broader leaves than hookeriana var. hookeriana, although I'm not sure it's enough of a distinction to be particularly noticeable.

Never met a Sarcococca I didn't like :-) Digyna 'Purple Stem' is my favorite although somewhat less fragrant than the other selections.

Thanks gardengal. This is a much underused group of shade plants here. I love them all. And especially confusa. Supposedly ruscifolia has berries which remain red longer? Do they eventually turn black?

Is hookeriana var. hookeriana just the prevalent type of the species. Not quite sure I understand what the 'var' means in this case. ?

A local nursery sells confusa, dignya 'Purple stem', and ruscifolia (supposedly -- they looked a lot like confusa to me) and of course humilis.

I've read that some think confusa is actually a hybrid between ruscifolia var. chinensis and dignya -- although I don't see it. Dirr said he started many confusa from seeds and there was absolutely NO variation in seedling forms - which to me says it must be its own species.

I have a Castle Spire holly (hybrid) that had all kinds of seedlings under it. You wouldn't believe the variation in them! Just what you would expect from a hybrid.

This post was edited by dave_in_nova on Sat, Nov 1, 14 at 9:41

Typically, you will see only ruscifolia, confusa and humilis in retail nurseries here, probably because the demand seems to be greatest for these more standard species. You have to do a little digging around at collector type nurseries to find any of the others. And humilis outsells the others by a big margin.

I agree it tends to be underused - except when in flower, the plant doesn't do much to advertise itself :-) Just that tidy, dark green foliage........rather unassuming. Even the flowers themselves are not very showy and it wouldn't be hard to walk right by a plant in full bloom without noticing except for that incredible fragrance. And while the attraction of various flower scents tend to be very subjective, I've never encountered anyone who didn't appreciate the fragrance of sweet box.

I think one of this plant's best features is its usefulness in tough situations. It is very happy in dry shade, like under the canopies/within the root zone of large trees......a spot that is often very challenging to plant successfully, especially if you want evergreen. I use it a LOT in my design work whenever appropriate, primarily for this feature, but try and fit at least a few by an entry way so that fragrance can be enjoyed close up by winter comings and goings.

I think the theory that confusa is a hybrid is due to the fact that none of this species has ever been found in the wild. And ruscifolia berries remain red - one of its distinguishing characteristics.

Unfortunately, as a member of the Buxaceae, Sarcococca is prone to boxwood blight so care should be taken when selecting new plants if that pathogen is problematic in your area.

Here is a link that might be useful: useful Sarcococca link

This is the plant labeled as S. hookeriana var. hookeriana.

Differences between them are discussed in The Hillier Manual of Trees & Shrubs. A new edition was issued this year. S. confusa - which froze back in Seattle during the 1990 winter - is said to probably be from China but does not appear to be treated by efloras Flora of China. The others discussed here can be found differentiated there.

Stock at garden centers here of 'Purple Stem' seems consistently less purple than stock that has been grown and sold here merely as var. digyna for years. So I wonder if the supplier has the true item.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sarcococca in Flora of China @ efloras.org

Confusa froze in zone 8?

Must have been in some unusual microclimates. It was fine in north Seattle.

But then I have not encountered the widespread dieback of broadleaf evergreens that bboy seems to find so frequently in our winters.

Extensive, long established plantings of plants labeled S. confusa in the Seattle arboretum went down during 1990 like they were hit with a torch. It stood out in this respect, the other species not being as bothered.

This post was edited by bboy on Wed, Nov 5, 14 at 14:58

My Sarcococca ruscifolia, in dry shade, died completely this winter. Roots and all. So avoid that one if you want it to be permanent. Plant was from 2007 and had never shown damage before. It was very slow, too, but had reached about 18" X 18" from the tiny rooting cutting sent by Cistus. Since I'd been having zn 8 winters, basically, until this winter, I'd say that one is only zn 8 hardy.
For comparison, the Escallonia 'Apple Blossom' next to it did much better; the stems that were pushed down into the snow survived (though defoliated of course) and it didn't even have to resprout from the roots. While plants atypical of eastern gardens are being discussed, I'll note my Azara microphylla had no problem with the very muggy albeit only moderately hot summer of 2013; the winter did kill it down but it tried to resprout in a pathetic way. A heavy spring rain put an end to that. (The epic late April storm that caused the most serious garden flooding here since Hurricane Irene; fortunately rhododendrons are less likely to be bothered by anoxic soil at that time of year) After planting I found a google books reference to it growing in New Orleans - absolutely astonishing humidity tolerance for a Chilean plant. So, it's very tempting to try again in a slightly more sheltered spot, and hope for a string of milder winters. Not something to build a garden around, but fun to experiment with. The Escallonia is one of the only Chilean plants to have been durable in my garden. (and, yes, I passed up an opportunity to get a free monkey puzzle recently. Not my cup of barbed wire.)

Not going to replant any as they are said to be affected by the fungus that is killing boxwoods, as noted by gardengal.

Joy Creek's hardiness rating seems in touch w/reality.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.joycreek.com/sarcococca-ruscifolia-527-001.htm

This post was edited by davidrt28 on Wed, Nov 5, 14 at 20:48

Sorry, was acting on bad information. That's in a bed I seldom scrutinize anymore. There are some large rhododendrons in there and other than weeding a couple times a year it's pretty much on autopilot. I know I weeded in there in mid June and I'm almost sure I didn't see anything. Well, I just went to get my mail and took a flashlight. It has a couple 10" sprouts coming out the ground. So, that's good, but still, the top was completely incinerated, even under snow cover. So it's not very hardy in my opinion.

The escallonia is almost certainly 'Donard Seedling', an Irish introduction and not the true 'Apple Blossom' - a quite different one that looks generally like [Pink Princess] = 'Frades' but with the apple blossom style flower color motif. 'Donard Seedling' used to be a standard item here and is/was almost always sold incorrectly as 'Apple Blossom', another one of those things like the one common weeping Japanese larch cultivar being offered usually as Larix decidua 'Pendula'.

The only place I have ever seen 'Apple Blossom' in person was the Seattle arboretum, where the two plants growing side-by-side there froze to the ground soon after I began looking at them. Although I had the impression they had been present in the collection for some years prior to this unfortunate development I do not believe I ever saw any sign of them growing back afterward. 'Donard Seedling', on the other hand may drop most of its leaves during colder winters here but seems to infrequently experience major stem damage, so that some sites have large mounding specimens of it.

Flowering sprigs of both cultivars are very conveniently shown right next to one another in the Phillips and Rix Shrubs picture book.

When you see various much-planted items dropping like flies around here is those winters like 1990 ("coldest in 30 years") when single digit temperatures become generally prevalent rather than a feature of outlying areas.

During my participation in rhododendron society activities during the 1970s there was a component of members from more easterly communities who had "cold" gardens that couldn't keep various rhododendrons that were being grown nearer to Puget Sound. Even there kinds being damaged by 10F were dubbed "California specials" and "tender", because for all practical purposes anything not hardy below that level is going to get zapped on the majority of sites in this area, sooner or later.

People right at the beach are able to get away with more exotic fare. One member who had an estate garden immediately above a south Seattle cove would bring to meetings flowering sprigs of rhododendrons otherwise seen outdoors mostly in northern California or southern coastal Oregon.

This post was edited by bboy on Wed, Nov 5, 14 at 22:11

Bboy, thanks for the assistance with the cultivar name.
I scrutinized page 222 of Shrubs and in all honesty it's very hard to tell them apart. Something about the curve of a certain part of the petals. Conveniently shown next to one another perhaps, but not conclusively so. My plant barely bloomed this year but I will check next spring if we have a mild enough winter, which seems increasingly unlikely. ;-( If it hadn't been for the good snowcover I had, I have no doubt last winter would have killed it at least to the ground.

According to my spreadsheet, I got the plant at Forestfarm, if that helps.

Fortunately there are enough "west coast" rhododendrons hybrids that for me at least have easily weathered this winter in the single digits. (3F to be precise, but more up & down oscillations in one winter than you have likely ever had in the PNW) In a fact a interesting oddity is compared to a collector on Long Island, which is not any colder than I am, I'm having better luck w/certain cultivars in terms of winter hardiness. I wonder if it could be that I grow my plants very lean, only a smattering of fertilizer every few years. He both feeds and waters for 'optimal growth' which may not mean optimal hardiness. Mine still bloom very well mind you, it isn't a like a Brugsmansia which is a absolute hog and requires P and some K probably to bloom.

For example the very excellent IMHO 'Captain Jack' had only the tiniest bit of leaf burning, on an old leaf. Even though it would not be considered very hardy by most people (in other words only zn 7 hardy). OTOH, the Hachmann hybrid Lisette, which US wholesalers have incorrectly rated zn 6 hardy, was severely burned. Compare with rated-zone-7 hardy Gardenia 'Kleim's Hardy', which was killed to the ground even in a more sheltered spot. In other words zn 7 hardy can mean a lot of things but rhododendrons -in general- seem to me to be prolonged-cool-tolerant plants. Maybe a Rubiaceae Ericaceae comparison just isn't fair haha.

Sounds like some of the people in the PNW you know were experimenting with the California hybrids generally thought to be zn 8 or even 9 hardy. I've never ordered any plant not rated to at least 5F, though there's sometimes ambiguity about wheather that means foliar or bud hardiness. I think 'Nancy Evans' might only be 5F bud hardy, but closer to 0F plant hardiness. It's the most tender rhodie I am trying to grow but it's such a great yellow to breed with and you have to have the plant because it doesn't make pollen. The real problem with it here is dying in summer from root rot, which can befall any plant derived from R. wardii. My long term policy is going to be to graft any plant having R. wardii, even if it's a small %. Finger crossed I believe I finally have a viable graft of it going.

Final thing, it isn't outside the realm of possibilty some are just a bit hardier due to the warm summers of the east. No not most rhodies, just ones derived from species coming from hot summer areas like R. arboreum. George in Bandon told me 'Bibiani' was considered very tender in the PNW; yet there are pictures on the web of large plants in the suburbs of Atlanta, which is on the 7b/8a border. I'm sure I told the story here before of my R. arboreum delavayi which sat UNDERWATER for at least 2 days after Hurricane Irene, and was fine! You can't have poorer drainage than that! I'd forgotten it was in an outer pot that didn't drain, and had other distractions at the time like the power being out for those 48-72 hours, my cellar being flooded, etc.

This post was edited by davidrt28 on Sun, Nov 9, 14 at 16:53

Yes, hot climate plants mature their growth better in hot summers. Otherwise there is the chronic and widespread misapplication of USDA Zones, both to sites and to plants - it seems to be too much to recognize and allow for the fact that 0-10F etc. refers to average annual minimum temperatures, and that a plant needs to be hardy below 0F if it is going to last in USDA 7 (and so on through the list). As well there is the problem of what "hardy to" is supposed to mean in each instance. Is that where it kills back or how far it can go without killing back? And so on.

The two pictures in the Phillips & Rix show how the 'Donard Seedling' has a smaller (or at least differently shaped) leaf and more petite flower effect. Like other Donard escallonias this is an eventually broad, open, arching shrub with small leaves and flower spikes often nearly horizontal, whereas the 'Apple Blossom' is built like [Pink Princess] = 'Frades', with larger leaves and a more vertical, leafy, hedge-like structure.

Forestfarm (and perhaps most any other North American nursery during the present time) is probably pretty unlikely to have had the true 'Apple Blossom'.