Buy Osmanthus fragrans

Has creamy yellow orange flowers in November. The flowers are small, but incredibly fragrant in November. The smell of apricots is intoxicating. The plant is evergreen and can get 12'-15' tall.

This elegant tree/shrub features glossy, deep-green, leathery evergreen leaves which make it a lovely specimen plant. It is grown however, for its exquisitely fragrant, apricot-scented, white spring blooms. This attractive, 10-15' plant is native to China and Japan where it is sometimes added to tea. S-PSh/M

SWEET TEA OLIVE - FRAGRANT TEA OLIVE - SWEET OSMANTHUS - A upright to oval shaped shrub which can be pruned to maintain shape. Dark shiny green leathery leaves - hardy zones 8-10 - does not like temps below 40 degrees. Produces clusters of the most fragrant creamy white blossoms during fall thru spring. Flowers are held closely along the stem emitting a heavenly orange blossom scent. Deer resistant. Flowers make a wonderful tea. Does well in containers.

The sweetly fragrant white flowers are borne periodically from fall to spring. It has deep dark green leathery foliage and an upright to oval shaped growth habit and can be kept pruned to maintain it's shape. Flowers of the Sweet Olive are used in Asian dishes to impart their fragrance into food and teas.Sweet Olives or Tea Olives are easy to grow evergreen shrubs or small trees whose fragrant flowers will often grace your garden from fall to spring. Osmanthus are adaptable to a wide range of soil types from sandy loams to clay but do need adequate drainage for best results. These durable evergreens can be grown in containers and will lend themselves to pruning and shaping as desired. For year round fragrance in zone 8 plant a Sweet Olive along with Sweet Almond Verbena, Gardenias, and Banana Magnolias. Sweet Olive is a 2009 Georgia Gold Medal plant selection.

Many visitors to the Ruth Bancroft Garden at this time of year are struck by a sweet fragrance that perfumes the air around the Folly at the entrance to the garden. The source of this delightful scent is an evergreen bush planted along the drive, Osmanthus fragrans forma aurantiacus. While our plant is a bush, this species can eventually grow into a small tree, attaining a height of up to 30 feet. Osmanthus is a member of the Oleaceae, or olive family, and most species are native to east Asia, though some occur in the Pacific and the southern U.S. In addition to the olive, other members of the family include jasmine and forsythia. O. fragrans is thought to be native to China, although it has been cultivated for its fragrance so widely and for so long that it is hard to pinpoint its precise place of origin. Common names for it include fragrant olive and tea olive. White or cream are the usual flower colors in the genus Osmanthus, and this holds true for the typical form of O. fragrans. However, our specimen is of the form with pale apricot flowers (forma aurantiacus). While the flowers are small, and their pastel hue is subtle rather than ostentatious, their remarkable fragrance is a wonderful addition to the garden.

A large shrub/small tree that can reach 20' but can be pruned to control height. Absolutely delicious, apricot-like fragrance. Leaves are dark, shiny green. With maturity, most of the foliage is out toward the tip but the plant still retains a lovely architectural presence. From Autumn thru Early spring, white flowers cover the shrub. Like Eleagnus pungens, the flowers are small and inconspicuous BUT oh my goodness what a scent! In colder zones, this is just worth bringing in for the scent! Young plants, in particular, need some shade. They can perfume a large area of your landscape Fall thru spring if you in 8B-10. Otherwise, they'll perfume your house! If you're in Zone 7, see the form below. (See photo link of plant in parking lot in *Zone 7B!) I'm betting they gave it great winter protection for several years until established.

The word "osmanthus" means fragrant flower. Imagine warm ripe apricots on a summer evening and you will come close to the floral scent of this ancient Chinese species. An evergreen shrub, to 10-12' tall x 6-8' wide, with shiny green leaves and, in autumn, clusters of small, cream colored flowers. Best in part shade in rich moist soil receiving regular summer water. Frost hardy to 5 °F, mid USDA zone 7.