I bought mine at Glasshouse Works but you might even be able to find one at a local nursery. I'd bought one some years back at a nursery but the blooms had no scent. The one I got at Glasshouse smells fantastic!
Karyn

Lol, I just emailed her the same thing about the ones with no smell. I would like to find another shrub I used to have that had little yellow buds and smells like bananas. I can't remember the name of it. I used to pick the buds and put them in a saucer and they would smell up the whole room.

Kristy was it a Michelia figo? That is supposed to smell like bananas.
Karyn

Here is a link that might be useful: michelia figo

I have 4 of these plants in my yard. You can not describe the scent. My daughter begged one away from me two years ago!! She planted it under her bedroom window.

Evergreen scrub that grows more up than out. Good background or foundation plant.

Ths is the closest I can come to a description, altho the tiny flowers are white fading to gold.

Edna, wish I could ship you some of the scent in a bottle.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sweet Tea Olive

I wish that I could grow mine in the yard but I'm just a tiny bit too cold. I'd love to be able to grow it as a hedge. If I put it in a protected spot it might be ok but I don't want to risk it. Edna it would probably be fine in your garden. The scent really is unbelieveable though the flowers aren't much to look at. The vendor that's listed on the DG link (Lazy S's) that Brenda attached is a reliable nursery.
Karyn

It looks sort of like Russian Olive, a tree that is invasive around here. They have small off white flowers that smell wonderful & one is enough to perfume a whole yard. I love the orange flower, it's much prettier. I wonder if you can grow it in a pot....hmmm.

Linda

Linda

Mine is slow-growing (8') but I've seen them grow 12'-15' tall- very mature plants. This variety is not invasive at all, at least here. I wish it was, I could find some seedlings- cuttings are hard to root. They are fairly expensive since they do grow slowly. The more mature plant you can buy, the faster you will have lots of those incredible smelliing flowers that bloom in the Fall.

The variety you are speaking of sounds like it's related, if not the same thing. I'm disappointed for northerners, that it won't grow in most of your zones. Like Karyn says, she is on the edge of successfully growing it outside in her zone.

I don't remember the Tea Olive being anything like a Russian Olive tree. We had a big RO in my yard when I was a kid.
Karyn

Kristy if it was in LA ,it prob was the banana shrub aka michelia figo. They are everywhere there! The michelia figo-skinneriana really smells the best -like strong bananas and vanilla! It is really awesome my dh loves it the best of any plant we have. They are hard to root so get a nice size plant if you can. They like acidic, moist but well drained soil and you can grow them just like gardenias.
SJN

I found one ! Well, actually 2 !! A friend of mine has a nursery, and I called him, and he has 2 ..YEAH. He said they are extremely fragrant, and these are blooming size. The best part is, he is doing fall cleanup and will give me a real good deal. He is the one I got my Dapne Odora from. If you don't have that plant, that is another wonderful one to have. Smells like heaven. Thank you Brenda for letting me know about this wonderful plant!!

Congrats, Edna, for your find! They should be blooming, if they are blooming size. Mine are- what a competition for your nostrils, with the brugs and Tea olives blooming at the same time!

Have to pass on the Dalphne- I love them, incredible odor, too but I kill 'em deader than dead- sad!! Done it to three of them, ......... no more!

Brenda

Oh, Edna, just thought of another of my favorites for fragrance. It's a tender perennial, so is an annual for me but try Heliotrope, if you ever get a chance.
The one I had was brilliant purple.

Here is a link that might be useful: Heliotrope

Yep, thats it michelia figo-skinneriana. Maybe thats why I haven't seen one around here if they like moist acidic soil, lol. Would be worth trying anyway if I can find one.

I kept one in AZ in a pot and it did great even in 110 degrees. Keep it in afternoon shade and you need to water q day. I put them in MG rose soil which is acidic, mixed with perlite and a little orchid mix for drainage. Gardenias do good in that mix too. They like the miracid fertilizer. It bloomed fall through spring there. Intense afternoon fragrance!
~SJN

Thanks SJN. I will try it. My gardenias did much better in a pot. They have done poorly in the ground. Edna glad you found it. I didn't get a chance to look around here today was going to give me a good excuse to visit the nurseries this weekend, lol.

I really enjoyed this posting.

I have way up here in Canada, Heliotrope growing every so well this summer

Have tried to grow it ever so many times and it never did well and for sure never bloomed

I should get my daughter to post a photo of it in bloom for this forum

I am so proud of it

I know it is a very tender perennial I am going to try bringing it in, cutting in back and leaving it in my solarium

Maybe it will survive. Nothing to lose I can always purchase small plants of it next spring.
Usually I can find 6 in small pots for about four dollars, or less.

I have a place in Florida and will try some of your fragrant plants mentioned

I do have the Fragrant Olive plant growing in a smallish clay pot here this summer But it hasn't done anything at all really