Osmanthus (Osmanthus spp.) is a sneaky plant. Why? Well, this evergreen woody ornamental can envelop the garden with an enchanting sweet aroma that is crazily elusive because it’s borne on flower panicles sometimes so small they can only be found after a dedicated hunt.
So, if you enjoy sending visitors in your garden on scent searches, below are two osmanthus options I have found at area nurseries to consider:
Fragrant Tea Olive (O. fragrans). As advertised, this is a very fragrant shrub. Plant descriptions say it can stretch up to 10 feet tall and about as wide, and I’m sure they do, but it could take a while — I’ve had two growing in amenable conditions for over 10 years, and both have only “stretched” to about 7 feet high.
Many fragrant tea olives have unremarkable sprinklings of teeny flowers, but their scent is pleasantly strong and long, with “long” having two meanings: (1) the sweet botanical perfume easily carries deep into the garden, well beyond its points of origin; and (2) the blossoms have a bloom-fest in the fall, but it can linger. Some years, I have caught enjoyable yet fleeting whiffs even in late winter.
If balancing an obvious, pleasing scent with equal visual pop is necessary to help soothe your flowery feng shui, you’re in luck with the cultivar ‘Fudingzhu.’ I’ve seen this sassy plant (also known as ‘Pearls on Buddha’s Head’) at local garden centers flaunting large, bodacious clusters of fragrant white flowers that can’t be missed in either scent or sight.
False Holly (O. heterophyllus). This is a doubly sneaky osmanthus. While its minute flowers play their typical hide-and-seek-and-sniff game with gardeners, the plant covers itself with new leaves that can be pointed like the spiny foliage of American or English holly, so misidentification is a common faux pas.
Variegated versions of false holly are available, and one of the more popular (meaning easier to find) cultivars is the sassy ‘Goshiki.’ In Japanese, its name translates into “five colors,” and there is truth to this advertising with emerging new leaves showing off splotched patterns of soft cream, buttery yellow, light green, dark green, and pleasing pink. The pink fades as its foliage matures, but the beauty of ‘Goshiki’ remains, making it a must-have holly — er, osmanthus for the landscape.
The variegated beauty of ‘Goshiki’ osmanthus
Autumn is a good time to plant woody ornamentals, including, of course, osmanthus. Although this scent-sational attention-getter is adaptable to many soil types, it will suffer in sites that drain poorly. Once established, osmanthus is fairly drought tolerant. Give it all the morning sun you possibly can, but try to site it in an area that has some mid-afternoon summer shade. This is especially important for fancy variegated cultivars such as ‘Goshiki,’ which could experience color fade under the intense summer sun. Finally, don’t fear the deer — osmanthus is not one of Bambi’s favorite munchies.
To Do in the Garden
November
- Have squirrels been enjoying digging in your newly planted, spring-blooming bulb beds? Spread chicken wire over the growing grounds to curb their burrowing activities and then, for cosmetic purposes, add a light covering of mulch.
- If culinary helpers such as oregano, thyme, dill, chives, rosemary, and basil are still growing strong in the garden, now is a good time to make bottles of herb vinegar, which, by the way, can make great holiday gifts!
December
- Had problems with leaf rollers romping in and ripping up your cannas this year? Cut back any remaining leaves and stalks, then trash them because that is where these dastardly pests like to overwinter until next spring.
- Plants are, of course, great gifts to give your gardening friends, but for something different that I am sure will also be appreciated, check with local garden centers or landscape companies to see if they sell certificates for such services as mulch delivery and spreading, tilling, pruning, lawn maintenance, or irrigation system installation.
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