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Fragrant Plants

It's Sweet Olive time again...

9 years ago

The smell is all over the front and back yards.
It's that time again.
Lets see your blooms people!
Does anyone have pics of any other color than
white?
Mine are about 5 or 6 feet tall, so here's a pic

Lets see Sweet OIive Smells LOL!

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Comments (10)

meyermike_1micha
9 years ago
I don't understand how it is that yours is in bloom now and I live way up here in New England and mine are just still growing...It's not like my nights have not been cold..

How can yours flower before mines when you live so far south? I hate trying to understand plants..lol

It must smell heavenly at your place Butterfly and I also hope you are doing well..This forum has changed, people just are not as active here as they use to be..That is why I have a hard time coming back..No one even cares to wonder where anyone has gone when missing in action, even though they are long tine known here.lol

Good to see your pics and thank you...

How's your Orange one doing? I know you bought one and I think of it often.

MIke
User
Original Author
9 years ago
Mike,
The orange one really hasnt grown very much.
It got really cold last winter, we had an ice storm, and I don't think it was happy. LOL
They are suppose to take years to bloom, they must mature.
There is a big one at the Columbia zoo that is gorgeous!
It is really wonderful, I wish I had a pic of it, but unfortunately I would have to go to the zoo, and I don't think I will be there any time soon, it's quite a ride.
I understand what you are saying about the old timers for this forum. LOL.
My sweet olive usually always blooms twice a year, once in spring, and then a really strong bloom in fall.
It usually does bloom at this time, and it blooms for about a month.
Alot of people use them as hedges here, and the smell is so sweet and wonderful, you know they are around.
I am happy you got an ALba recently, I hope you have luck with it Mike. You will have to let me know how it smells.
I bought a Michelia Figo "banana shrub" recently, its pretty small though, and they grow reallllly slow, lol, so I will see how that does here. It is planted outside next to my house, it should get mostly shade til late in the day.
I have a hard time bringing plants inside, I start to get claustrphobic with too many plants.
Come back more often Mike, I'm so happy you responded to my post. Post a pic when your sweet olive blooms.
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meyermike_1micha
9 years ago
I wish I could only plant all my favorite trees right into the ground... I have always dreamed of one day being able to plant an Olive and Michelia right next to my house..lol

You yard must smell so good and well as those whom have them as hedges, my goodness...Yes, mine is just growing new leaves,,,It's quite strange..I though full sun and cold temps triggered blooms, but not so here. I don't get it. I have 6 trees of all different sizes and not a one budding...I wish I could get them to flower by now, but it seems to me they stay green and healthy almost all year...Oooo, if it does not give me any flowers, especially my 8 foot tree that I can barely carry into the house anymore, it's going to sit outside all winter in our blizzards..I'm serious..lol I have just a mind to let it go.

Now, you have to go to the zoo! Do you have any idea how happy all those animals will be to see you? They love to see faces and then you can get a pic of that tree. It must be just about to set flowers by now. Boy, do I wish I could see one of those up close.
I hope yours does the same as you still stay on this earth nice and healthy for a long time..I hope it's not like a cactus that outlive a human life span before it flowers..Goodness.

I hope this winter is much milder than the last. I would be afraid that if your tree goes through that again, it would not make it..Watch for the long range forecast..If you think it's going to be brutal, try to see if you can insulate it? If you are anything like me, if it has to be insulated, then it's tough.lol
I got tired of insulating my shrubs and fig tree. I stopped that and if didn't survive my winters, then it didn't belong out there...I find native trees and shrubs that can handle such cold temps a lot less nerve racking and less work.

It's always good to see your pics and your plants. You do such a wonderful job with them, especially your gardeinas! I am going to call you the Gardenia Whisperer. You have a way of making thinks look so delicious...

Thank you for sharing and I'll be back soon.

I have to dig up a pic for you speaking of Sweet Olives)
restoner
9 years ago
Here's mine (Osmanthus fragrans 'Fudingzhu'). It's only a few inches high because it was killed to the ground this past winter, but it's blooming.
User
Original Author
9 years ago
restoner,
wonderful pic! Look at the little tree who could!
And its blooming up a storm!
It'll grow back too.
It just needs a little recovery time, but the smell is still wafting through the wind.
Mike, mabey it is the change of seasons that triggers the blooming, are they outside? Mabey it is the cool nights, like with gardenias.
I love sweet olives. If I could just bottle the smell....
ocelaris
9 years ago
Wow restoner, you have a fudzinghu outside in 6B/7a? I have two Auranticus (Orange) ones that I purchased this spring and are outside, and I'm crossing my fingers, but I wouldn't think to attempt Fudzinghu outside...My Fudzinghu is blooming at the moment, but it's small, only 2 feet and I can't smell anything? Maybe the flowers just haven't started to smell yet?
Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
9 years ago
I have several 10-foot O. x fortune in full bloom now. Wow!

Not quite as nice a fragrance as O. fragrans, but they niver die back either.
meyermike_1micha
9 years ago
Dave, what do you live in a Bubble?/ lol YOur plants never seem to suffer a thing..

Butterfly..That's the thing, they are all outside from March until November...How much colder can you get than that.?
Mine have already been exposed to 38 degrees once and many 40 dgrees nights with warm days and all they want to do is either slow down or grow leaves..Crazy..Mine's won't produce blooms until they come in for another month which is what drives me crazy..I am a lot colder than your area a lot earlier, and yet yours bloom now..I must have winter bloomers, that's it.lol

MIke
restoner
9 years ago
Thanks butterfly4u & ocelaris, 'Fudingzhu' probably is just a novelty around here with no long term future. It's the only plant that I protected last winter (with burlap wrap) and it still died back. This guy is nearly four feet tall and smells great (can't remember if it is O. fortunei 'UNC' or 'San Jose'. No damage at all last winter.
User
Original Author
9 years ago
restoner,
Wow! Thats a happy shrub! And no die back? It's a keeper.
Look at those blooms.
Yea, when you get a wiff, its intoxicating.
I love fall because of these shrubs.
They will get really big, but they grow so slow I probably
won't even be around to see it.
They take a pruning really well too.
Your other sweet olive will grow for you.The winter damaged
one, it will grow back.
Ocelaris, Take the 2 ft tea olive into the bathroom and make it nice and warm and humid in there. Not too warm.
Then see if you can smell the flowers.
The more humid it is, the stronger the smell.
It is a baby, but you should be able to smell it.

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