This popular garden favourite has long been valued for its sweetly scented flowers. However, osmanthus also makes a good flowering hedge, as seen in our segment. It flowers on old wood, which means it can be pruned and shaped without cutting off the flower buds and ruining the flower display.
Plant details
Common name: sweet osmanthus, sweet olive Botanic name: Osmanthus fragrans
Description:
An evergreen shrub 3-4m (10-12′) tall and about 2m (6′) wide. It has glossy, toothed leaves, and apricot-scented, small white flowers from late winter to early December.
The genus name, Osmanthus, is from the Greek osme and anthos, meaning ‘odour’ and ‘flower’. The species name, fragrans, is Latin for ‘fragrant’. Both names refer to the highly perfumed flowers.
Best climate:Osmanthus grows in most areas of Australia.
Uses:
hedge or privacy screen
garden shrub
container plant
cut flowers for indoor decoration
in China the flowers are used to scent tea
Good points:
fragrant flowers
attractive, glossy foliage
grows in a range of climates
hardy
Downside:
fairly slow growing
more open growth habit than other hedging species
Care:
Grow osmanthus in sun or part shade. It likes a well-drained soil enriched with organic matter, such as compost or manure. Prune after flowering to maintain a compact shape.
Getting started:
Osmanthus is readily available at nurseries and garden centres. Prices for 140mm (7″) pots, $9.00 and a 200mm (8″) pot, $15.00.
