Osmanthus fragrans – Sweet Tea Olive (4″ pot)

Description Although the look is not necessarily what grabs your attention because the flowers are not showy, but the powerful fragrance will make you do a double take. Place it where the fragrance can most be enjoyed. You will notice it every time you walk by.  The flowers are small and inconspicuous, but will appear frequently throughout the shorter days of the year here in south Florida. Some say the flowers smell like apricots. In China, the flowers are used to infuse green and black teas and can even be used to produce an Osmanthus scented jam, liquor and even certain edibles. One of our favorite fragrant plants for the scent! Simply irresistible. FAMILY : Oleaceae ORIGIN : Asia; Himalayas, southern China, Taiwan, southern Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, etc TYPE/USES : shrub, small tree MATURE SIZE : up to 15′ without trimming GROWTH RATE : slow to medium LIGHT REQUIREMENTS : morning sun and afternoon shade or filtered light WATER REQUIREMENTS : average/medium MIN. TEMP. : low 20’s for a short period of time FLOWER : cooler months; very fragrant COMMENTS : does well in containers or in the ground in tropical locations