Osmanthus blooms and shares its jasmine-like fragrance right from the beginning of spring.
Short list of Osmanthus facts
Name – Osmanthus
Family – Oleaceae
Type – shrub
Height – 10 to 13 feet (3 to 4 m)
Exposure – full sun, part sun
Soil – rich enough
Foliage – evergreen
Flowering – March-April
Here are all great practices that will enhance the beauty of your osmanthus.
Planting osmanthus
It is best to plant Osmanthus in fall to speed root development up over the winter.
But like most shrubs purchased in containers, you can plant it all year long as long as you double down on watering if planting in spring or summer (avoid times of very hot weather).
As a hedge, space the base of each osmanthus stem more or less by 6 ½ feet (2 meters).
- Osmanthus loves the sun and even tolerates part sun quite well.
- This shrub copes well in any type of soil.
- It despises cold wind during the blooming, so shelter it from dominant winds.
- Refer to our guidelines on planting shrubs
Propagating osmanthus
Cuttings are the fastest manner of multiplying this shrub. Go ahead and multiply your osmanthus in summer!
Pruning and caring for osmanthus
Pruning isn’t a definite necessity for Osmanthus, but, nonetheless, it helps keep a dense, tight bearing all year round.
- Prune preferably at the end of winter but before the first buds appear.
- It’s also often practiced to prune after the blooming, so that spring flowers aren’t compromised.
- It’s also possible to pruning after flowering.
- Remove dead and fragile branches regularly.
Osmanthus can’t cope with deep cold or with sitting water, which is why you’ll have to protect it.
All there is to know about Osmanthus
Osmanthus isn’t a very common shrub, but it does have many advantages that other shrubs don’t have.
Its magnificent green, sometimes mottled leafage (depending on the variety) is very dense, and it is perfectly suited to flowered, not-so-tall hedges.
Its white flowers and deliciously fragrant flowers remind one of the smell of jasmine. In China, its flowers are used to flavor green tea.
Osmanthus is also called false holly because the leathery leaves are similar to those of holly, even if they aren’t spiky.
Lastly, you should know that if you hope to grow Osmanthus in a pot, nothing should stop you because this shrub is perfectly suited to growing in pots and containers.
- Best select Osmanthus x burkwoodii for growing in a pot or garden box.
Among the many interesting species and varieties of osmanthus, you’ll find:
- Osmanthus x burkwoodii
- Osmanthus delavayi
- Osmanthus fragrans
- Osmanthus heterophyllus
Diseases and parasites most often found on Osmanthus
Osmanthus are very sturdy and resist most garden diseases well.
You may witness an invasion of mealy bugs, but it isn’t very common.
Smart tip about osmanthus
To have beautiful flowers, in fall, spread a sac of soil mix with flower fertilizer added in at the base of the tree.
You can also pour the ashes from your fireplace all winter long nearby, it will increase the blooming in spring.
Osmanthus fragrans (orange flowers): I live on central Vancouver Island (PNW classification) where it’s the mildest in Canada. We do get a few frosty days/nights in some years. This plant is sensitive to cold winds (literature) during flowering. We get rain and sun in the autumn, heavier rain in winter, and more sun and less rain in spring.
Could/Should I plant it in the garden and wrap it with insulating cloth during the colder season? Or … how about a reasonably large planter that may be wheeled into the area of the front door when cold?
This plant is not normally sold in our area, but I believe it can be available. I’ve had good success with Osmanthum Goshiki.