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Florida Gardening

Fragrant Tea Olive

13 years ago

A few months ago I planted a fragrant tea olive, Osmanthus fragrans. It's about almost 4' now. Extremely slow growing. Some of the leaves have brown tip areas as though they are being burned. They seem to be dry and crinkly. It is in a relatively sunny area. I am in zone 10a. Shouls this be more in the shade and less sun?

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Comments (9)

gatormomx2
13 years ago
Yes, they do better in half sun and half shade.
This shrub prefers zone 7 to 9 although it is listed as 8 to 10 also.
Since this is a relatively new planting,
it will require frequent watering including through the winter.
These are susceptible to fungal attacks.
Bayer Tree and Shrub care is highly recommended to prevent problems.
Add fertilizer once this shrub is well established.

Here is a link that might be useful: From Floridata:Osmanthus fragrans
hester_2009
13 years ago
I'm so envious! I had a tea olive at my old house and it was too big to dig up and move - now I can't find one for sale.Did you get yours at a local nursery or one of the big box stores?
Anyhow, mine was indeed a slow grower in the ground. I had originally kept it in a pot by the back door. Both places were full shade except for some late afternoon sun. And I kept it pretty well watered . If you are not, that could be the cause of brown tips. They are a tricky plant I think and not too attractive, but the fragrence is soooo worth it all.
Good luck.
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Osmanthus like hot and humid in the summer, and protecting them from winter is the key. It's been a while since my wife lived there and I visited (dating at that point), but I'm pretty sure you're fine temp wise. Home Depot doesn't typically sell things that are half hardy... though even in Georgia Michael Dirr said he had some dieback from year to year. They will get to Lilac size, and although you can prune them, Osmanthus flower on old wood, so pruning will delay or stop flowering for some time (could be years according to wikipedia). So I would try to site it in a place where can grow uninhibited (6-10' tall and wide). The main object in protecting plants in winter is desiccation of leaves. You're not going to do much about minimum temperatures, so focus on keeping the plant from drying out in winter. Being evergreen the plant needs to provide some moisture all year round, so planting somewhere with more sun is probably better than less. At least my theory is that the top couple inches where most of the roots are may stay unfrozen longer if it's in the sun. Cold means low humidity, and wind exacerbates that. So if you can plant it out of the wind, i.e. not out in a field, protected closer to a house or wind break it will help. Realistically getting the plant established as it's already mid summer is more important than anything else; I'd make sure it gets enough water to put out some good root growth to prepare it for winter. Maybe some slow release osmocote or compost on top, nothing strong, but to encourage the roots to spread out. Here's a pic from LSU, you can see they've got it up against a large radiating heat source (brick etc...) so heat isn't an issue as long as they have the moisture and nutrients to make use of that heat. And you can see what they mean by "shrub", it's really a small tree... This post was edited by ocelaris on Mon, Jul 28, 14 at 12:30
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peterzone10
Original Author
13 years ago
Hester, I got mine at a local nursery in So.Fla. I may have to transplant it as it gets late morn and PM sun. I will have to find a partially shady place for it and I hope it doesn't go into shock when I dig it up. I have been giving it much water.THanks all for responding.
sis3
13 years ago
Thanks from me too as I have a Tea Olive that could be the twin of peterzone's plant from his/her description! I now understand that it needs some shade so I will be moving it today (it's in a container). Mine may also be suffering from under watering. It was a lovely healthy plant when I purchased it at the USF plant sale in Tampa in Spring 2009.
marcia_m
13 years ago
Me, too. We made a quick trip to our winter home in SW Florida a week ago. I have a small tea olive in the ground that was getting most day sun and had brown leaf tips. It wasn't getting any larger, either. I moved it to an area that gets more shade in the afternoon. Back in PA now until November, so I hope the transplant does okay without my being there to water. (Boy, did I have weeds to pull out! They did so well--I know I'll be weeding again in Nov.)
Marcia PA/FL
writersblock (9b/10a)
13 years ago
If you're in S FL, Butterfly World often has them, too.
voyageurs47
10 years ago
I just purchased two Fragrant Tea Olives at my local Lowe's for $8 each. The manager has an 60% off sale going on right now trying to find new homes for the plants in their nursery department. My trees/shrubs are about 5' tall. I hope they flower this fall and I can't wait for their smell. Everyone says they smell awesome!

Here is a link that might be useful: Diary of a Native Garden
loufloralcityz9
10 years ago
Hester,

Try growing the Goshiki Variegated Holly Tea Olive, it is a very pretty evergreen shrub with cream, pink, orange, yellow, and white speckled variegated holly-like foliage. True to its name, 'Goshiki' means 'five-colored' in Japanese. This tough, sturdy shrub will brighten up any yard. Tiny white flowers are extremely fragrant and usually start blooming in late summer. Goshiki is a slow growing compact shrub that will grow best in partial shade. Plant near walkways, patios, or decks to enjoy the wonderful fragrance. I have one growing in a pot in my pool screen house and the aroma is amazing.

Lou
Tom
10 years ago
I have a number of these in fairly dense shade where they do well. One thing that I have noticed is that they don't seem to attract any pollinating insects like bees or butterflies. I don't know how they would reproduce other than by cuttings.

I believe, like camellias, they like somewhat acidic soil. Not sure about this, however.

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