Osmanthus fragrans

Common Names

Fragrant Olive, Sweet Olive, Sweet Osmanthus, Fragrant Tea Olive, Tea Olive, Gui Hua

Summary

Fragrant Tea Olive is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to East Asia, typically 10–15 ft tall and 10–15 ft wide with a dense upright to columnar habit and often multiple trunks, featuring glossy leathery dark green leaves and small white flowers in cymes with an intensely fragrant apricot-like scent that blooms in spring and autumn.

It prefers full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil with a pH around 5.0–7.5, is drought-tolerant once established, and can be pruned after flowering to maintain size and improve air circulation. Suitable for hedges, screens, specimen plantings, or containers with root confinement, it can be propagated by cuttings or layering; hardy in USDA zones 8–11; common pests include aphids and scale; water during the growing season and use slow-release fertilizer in spring and mid-summer; avoid soggy conditions.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

10-15 feet

Spread

10-15 ft

Hardiness Zones

Zones 8-11

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun to partial shade.

Soil Type

Well-drained soil, pH 5.0–7.5.

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soil

Soil pH

5.0-7.5

Bloom Color

White, creamy white, or pale yellow; orange in the aurantiacus variety

Bloom Time

Spring, Summer, Fall

Foliage Color

Dark green

Fall Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Evergreen broadleaf

Growth Rate

Slow to moderate growth; about 4–12 inches per year.

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Cuttings, Layering

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees and butterflies