Fragrant Tea Olive

{"key":"teaolive","id":"PLT-OSMA-FRAGRANS","slug":"fragrant-tea-olive","name":"Fragrant Tea Olive","botanical":"Osmanthus fragrans","eyebrow":"EVERGREEN STRUCTURE + FRAGRANCE","benefit":"Let fragrance become part of the garden.","intro":"Tea olive gives a garden a lasting green backdrop and a fragrance you may notice before you find the flowers. Use it where a generous planting can frame a seating area or boundary, with room for the shrub to become a substantial part of the landscape.","h":[10,20],"w":[10,14],"install":[3,2],"color":"#60794e","habit":"upright","light":"Morning sun / afternoon shade","lightTags":["sun","part"],"water":"Water to establish; moist soil that drains well","season":"Evergreen · small fragrant flowers in seasonal flushes","care":"Selective pruning; check scale and dry-weather watering","caution":"A large shrub, not a compact foundation plant. Give it afternoon shelter and room for its full width.","site":"A sheltered Pensacola garden with morning sun and some afternoon shade is a useful starting point. Place fragrance near a terrace or entry, but keep mature branches out of the route. Flowering can vary with weather, winter injury and pruning.","sizeNote":"This species guide uses NC State’s 10–20 ft height and 10–14 ft spread. UF/IFAS reports a much broader height range across cultivars. Confirm the exact nursery selection; pruning and a young plant’s size do not establish its natural limit.","uses":["Fragrant garden","Large evergreen backdrop","Informal screen","Seating-area background","Small-tree accent"],"checks":[["Plan the scent and the space together.","Place the shrub near a space where you pause, with the seating and access route outside its future canopy. A large bed can let its natural shape contribute more than a tightly clipped row."],["Give afternoon light some thought.","Morning sunshine with afternoon shelter can suit a hot Gulf Coast garden. Dense shade may produce a thinner plant. Observe the bed at several times of day before choosing its position."],["Prune with the flower cycle in mind.","Repeated shearing can remove flowering wood. Use selective cuts when a shape adjustment is needed, and confirm timing for the particular selection with the nursery."],["Separate establishment from long-term care.","Water new plants while roots develop. Established drought tolerance still calls for attention in hot, dry spells. Keep irrigation and roof runoff from turning a well-drained bed into a wet one."]],"faq":[["Will the fragrance last all year?","Flowers can arrive in more than one flush, but they are seasonal and weather-dependent. Choose tea olive for its foliage and structure as well as its scent."],["Is this the orange-flowered variety?","This is the species guide, illustrated with creamy white flowers. Orange and yellow selections need their own cultivar confirmation; do not assume the color from the common name."],["Can I keep it under a low window?","It is usually a poor choice when the permanent space is small. Explore a naturally lower shrub instead of planning years of pruning around an undersized bed."]],"sources":[["NC State Extension · species size and growing conditions","https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/osmanthus-fragrans/"],["UF/IFAS · tea olive in Florida","https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/trees-and-shrubs/shrubs/tea-olive/"],["UF/IFAS Assessment · current Florida status","https://assessment.ifas.ufl.edu/assessments/osmanthus-fragrans/"]],"wholeCaption":"Illustrative species form · a substantial evergreen shrub","detailCaption":"Illustrative detail · small creamy flowers among leathery leaves","native":false,"guideKind":"Species guide","aliases":["sweet olive","sweet osmanthus","fragrant olive"],"goals":["privacy","color"],"images":{"context":{"id":"6a9fefa225df9c8695438266","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6a9fefa225df9c8695438266_landova-teaolive-context-r07.webp","alt":"Illustrative planting concept with Fragrant Tea Olive","width":1600,"height":900},"whole":{"id":"6a9fefa3ccf2cf96774acce6","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6a9fefa3ccf2cf96774acce6_landova-teaolive-whole-r07.webp","alt":"Illustrative whole-plant form of Fragrant Tea Olive","width":1448,"height":1086,"fit":"contain"},"detail":{"id":"6a9fefa43c7f566bd6cc91a2","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6a9fefa43c7f566bd6cc91a2_landova-teaolive-detail-r07.webp","alt":"Illustrative foliage and seasonal detail of Fragrant Tea Olive","width":1254,"height":1254}},"reviewDate":"2026-09-08","companions":[{"slug":"shi-shi-gashira-camellia","name":"Shi Shi Gashira Camellia","title":"Layer foliage and a different flower season.","reason":"Shi Shi Gashira can provide a lower layer in a sheltered, acidic, well-drained bed. Reserve separate mature footprints and enough filtered light for the camellia.","image":{"id":"6a9f34851fbbc23ce57e8e85","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6a9f34851fbbc23ce57e8e85_landova-shrub-shishi-context-r02.webp","alt":"Illustrative planting concept with Shi Shi Gashira Camellia"}},{"slug":"radicans-gardenia","name":"Radicans Gardenia","title":"Keep the foreground lower.","reason":"Radicans can bring a lower evergreen form where drainage, acidity and moisture suit both plants. Keep it outside the tea olive’s eventual dense shade.","image":{"id":"6a9f291b4f259866ad352735","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6a9f291b4f259866ad352735_landova-shrub-radicans-context.webp","alt":"Illustrative planting concept with Radicans Gardenia"}}]}