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| Osmanthus fragrans |
I've been anxiously awaiting the blooms on my Tea Olives ever since Fall arrived. We've been under a severe drought here in Georgia for a couple of months now. Most of our plants are suffering, and many have refused to bloom. Some established shrubs and trees might even die.
But there she is, my Tea Olive, blooming anyway. I admit, the blooms are not as plentiful as usual, but they are still there, and I can smell their sweet fragrance.
Osmanthus fragrans is one of my favorite evergreen shrubs. When in full bloom, my whole garden smells like fresh apricots!
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| Osmanthus fragrans 'Fudingzhu' |
I must say Osmanthus fragrans is one of the easiest plants to grow. This evergreen shrub grows very large over time and does well in full sun to part shade. Not picky about soil, the tea olive tolerates clay soil and is drought tolerant (once established.)
The most sensational bloom is in fall, but Osmanthus fragrans blooms sporadically year round. The fragrance is most notable in the evening on warmer days. Blooms are so tiny that you'd never suspect the heavenly fragrance is coming from them!
An exception to that is Osmanthus fragrans 'Fudingzhu', which has showy clusters of the tiny blooms--still with that same sweet fragrance.
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| Osmanthus fragrans 'Aurantiacus' Orange Blossom Tea Olive |
Evergreen foliage is a rich green that holds up well in floral arrangements.
Osmanthus fragrance is hardy in USDA Zones 8-11, but is often seen in Atlanta which is Zone 7. Can withstand temperatures down to 10 degrees with no foliar damage.
Although we have some blooms on the Osmanthus shrubs that have been in the garden several years, I fear the we'll see no blooms this year on our Orange Blossom Tea Olive, Osmanthus fragrans 'Aurantiacus.'
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