Box-leaf azara

Box-leaf azara: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Upright shrub or small tree 3–4 m high and 2–2.5 m wide, with horizontal, fan-like side branches.

Leaves

Small, round to oval, 1–2.5 cm, glossy dark green and slightly toothed. Each leaf has a smaller, leaf-like stipule beside it, so they seem to grow in unequal pairs.

Flowers

Tiny flowers without petals but with showy yellow stamens, in small clusters under the branches; in February–March.

Scent

Sweet, of vanilla or white chocolate; most noticeable on sunny, still days.

Fruit

In mild regions, sometimes small orange-red berries; they are rarely seen in our gardens.

Flowering: February–March · Plants: April–May · Pruning: April

Why grow it?

• One of the first scented shrubs of the year: a vanilla fragrance in February–March.
• An early food source for bees and bumblebees flying on mild winter days.
• Fine, glossy evergreen foliage that gives structure all winter.
• Graceful, fan-shaped branches: lovely as a specimen or trained against a wall.
• Narrow and tall: it also fits a smaller garden or a sheltered courtyard.

Box-leaf azara: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade, ideally sheltered from cold north and east winds, for example against a south- or west-facing wall.
• Humus-rich, free-draining soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to chalky.
• Moderately moist: do not let it dry out in summer, but avoid waterlogging in winter.
• By a wall, keep 40–50 cm away from the house; as a specimen, allow 2–2.5 m.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal

Size

4 m tall, 2.5 m wide

Hardiness

Half hardy (to -12 °C): protect it in harsh winters

Goes well with

• Hellebore: Flowers at the same time at the foot of the shrub, in the same sheltered corner.
• Snowdrop: White bells beneath the shrub in February.
• Witch hazel: Another fragrant winter flowerer, with yellow or orange ribbon-like petals.
• Sweet box: A low evergreen shrub with an equally sweet winter scent.
• Crocus: Purple crocuses contrast with the little yellow flowers.

Box-leaf azara: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May.

1. Plant in April–May so the shrub has a whole summer to settle in before its first winter.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and mix in compost or leaf mould.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as in the pot; by a wall, 40–50 cm from the house and leaning slightly towards it.
4. Firm the soil well and water thoroughly.
5. Give a young free-standing shrub a stake, or tie the branches to horizontal wires against a wall.
6. Spread a mulch of leaf mould or bark around the base.

Care

Water

Regularly in dry weather during the first year. Soil at the foot of a wall often stays dry, so keep watering in dry summers later on too.

Feeding

A little compost or a handful of organic fertiliser in April; it needs no more.

Mulching

A layer of leaf mould every spring keeps the roots cool and protects them in winter.

Training

Against a wall, tie the fan-shaped branches loosely to horizontal wires.

In a pot

Can live for years in a large pot on a sheltered patio. Repot every two to three years in spring.

Tip: Plant it by a door, a window or along a path you use often in February: on sunny days the vanilla scent will hang in the air.

Box-leaf azara: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April.

When: After flowering, in April. It needs very little pruning.

How:

• Shorten overlong or wayward shoots to just above a side shoot.
• Remove frosted or dead twigs back to healthy wood.
• On a wall shrub, cut back shoots growing away from the wall and tie in the rest.
• Never prune hard; keep to light corrections so the natural fan shape stays attractive.

Caution: Do not prune in summer or autumn: you would remove the flower buds for the following spring.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Semi-ripe cuttings

In July–August, 10 cm cuttings, preferably with a heel, in moist cutting compost under plastic or in a cold frame. They root within a few weeks; keep them frost-free in their first winter.

Layering

In spring, bend a low branch to the ground, wound it lightly and peg it down. Sever it after a year and transplant.

Box-leaf azara: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −12 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Hardy to about −12 °C: in a sheltered spot it usually comes through Belgian winters, but hard frost and cold wind can damage leaves and shoots.
• Protect young plants in hard frost with a double layer of fleece and a thick mulch around the base.
• The variegated form is more tender: give it the warmest spot in the garden.
• In a pot: overwinter in a cool, light, frost-free place, or well wrapped against a wall.

Diseases and pests

• Frost and wind damage: Brown leaves and dead shoot tips after a hard winter or cold easterly winds. Cut back to healthy wood in April and give better protection in future.
• Yellow leaves: Often on wet, poorly drained soil. Improve drainage or move it to a higher spot.
• Few flowers: A sign of too much shade or pruning at the wrong time. Prune only after flowering.
• Drying out: Soil by a wall dries quickly: the leaves turn dull and drop. Water generously and mulch.

Through the year

• January: In hard frost, cover young plants with fleece.
• February: Vanilla-scented flowers. Bees on mild days.
• March: In flower. Remove winter protection.
• April: Light pruning after flowering. Plant. Add compost and mulch.
• May: Plant. Water in dry weather.
• July: Take semi-ripe cuttings. Water in dry weather.
• August: Take cuttings. No more pruning.
• November: Mulch the base. Wrap pots or move them under cover.
• December: Keep fleece at hand for hard frost.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The tiny flowers have no petals: their yellow colour comes entirely from the stamens.
• The genus is named after José Nicolás de Azara, an 18th-century Spanish diplomat who supported the natural sciences.
• The small ‘second leaf’ beside each leaf is actually a stipule that looks just like a true leaf.