Growing the San José Osmanthus

Size and Appearance

The San José Osmanthus grows steadily to become an upright, rounded, evergreen shrub and ultimately a small tree. After 10 years it will be 10 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide, and it will reach 20 to 25 feet tall in time, and 10 or 15 feet wide. When planting allow enough space from fixed objects like walls and fences to allow for its mature size. The leaves are slender ovals, between 2 and 4 inches long, with a smooth glossy surface and a leathery texture. They are rich dark green all year round, and they have a row of small teeth along the edges of many leaves. Some leaves may be spineless, typically towards the base of the stems and generally on older plants.

In late September or early October, you will suddenly notice an amazing perfume spreading through your garden. It is coming from your San José Osmanthus, although you may not notice its source, until you see and smell the clusters of small white flowers that have grown along the stems. In colder zones flowering continues until the end of November, but in warmer zones, and particularly as your bush matures and grows, flowering will continue in warm spells throughout winter, ending with a final flourish in March or April. This bush has the longest flowering season of all the different Osmanthus varieties, except for the fragrant tea olive, which blooms a little longer into spring, but only grows in zones 8 and 9. You will love the fragrance, which some say is reminiscent of apricots, and is used in perfumes by the most exclusive perfumeries.

Using the San José Osmanthus in Your Garden

The San José Osmanthus is perfect wherever you need a rounded evergreen of quality, such as around your home, in shrub beds, as accents around the garden, and even on lawns. Grow it on the margins of wooded areas, or on either side of an entrance, to brighten the winter days with its fragrance. It can be trimmed into formal hedges or grown as informal ones – although too much trimming will reduce flowering.

Hardiness

The San José Osmanthus is hardy in zones 7, 8 and 9, as well as in sheltered parts of zone 6. In studies done by Dr. Lisa Alexander, a horticultural researcher with the U.S. Department of Agriculture at the Floyd Nursery Research Center in Tennessee, this variety proved to be among the most reliable and fastest growing of all the varieties she tested at the Center, which is between zones 6 and 7. Not only did it grow quickly, it was much more reliable in flowering than the false holly, Osmanthus heterophyllus, which hardly ever blooms in those cold zones.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun, partial shade or even full shade are all fine with the San José Osmanthus. Growth in full shade is not as strong, but this plant is remarkably drought resistant in dry shade, once it is established. In hot zones morning sun and afternoon shade are ideal. In zone 6, full sun against a sheltering wall is the perfect location. While moist, well-drained, acidic soil is ideal, any well-drained soil is suitable for this reliable and easy-to-grow plant.

Maintenance and Pruning

The San José Osmanthus is largely maintenance-free after watering it regularly while it establishes itself in your garden. A little evergreen fertilizer in spring will help it grow more quickly. It can be pruned in spring, before the new growth comes, and also trimmed from spring to fall, but it shouldn’t need this unless you want a very formal look, or it hasn’t been given enough room to develop fully. Too much trimming will reduce flowering.

History and Origin of the San José Osmanthus

The San José Osmanthus is the recreation of a hybrid plant found a long time ago in Japan. It is a cross between the fragrant tea olive, Osmanthus fragrans, and the false holly, Osmanthus heterophyllus. Used to give its delicious perfume to tea, the fragrant tea olive is only hardy in the warmest parts of the country. The false holly is the hardiest Osmanthus, with a mix of spiny leaves and smooth leaves, and you can see all these characteristics in the child of this cross-pollination. It was introduced into Europe twice – the first time by the German botanist Philipp Franz von Siebold, to Holland in 1856. The second time was by the Scottish botanist Robert Fortune, to England in 1862, and the plant is named after him as Fortune’s Osmanthus. In 1941 W.B. Clarke & Co. Nursery of San Jose, California announced that they had re-created this cross-pollination. Their plant is very similar to the original, but more cold-resistant, and with narrower leaves that have finer spines on them. They named it ‘San José’.

Buying the San José Osmanthus at The Tree Center

The San José Osmanthus has been proven to be the right choice when you want cold-resistance and good blooming. It is the top pick for cooler zones, but it grows well in warm places too. This special variety is always in high demand, but in short supply. The limited quantity we have sourced will not last long, so order now and enjoy the heady perfume and quiet beauty of a top-class evergreen.

Growing Fortune’s Osmanthus

Size and Appearance

Fortune’s Osmanthus is an evergreen shrub, growing steadily into a rounded form that typically can be 10 feet tall and 8 feet wide, but that over time, if untrimmed, can pass 20 feet tall, developing into a multi-stem tree with a broad crown. The gray-barked branches are tough and resistant to breakage, and this plant develops a sturdy structure without any fancy training or pruning. The leaves are 2 to 4 inches long, with a leathery texture and a glossy surface, colored rich dark-green all year round. This tree has the interesting feature that the leaves are of two kinds. On lower branches and new growth, the leaves look like a holly, with a row of small spines down each side. As the stems grow taller the spines become fewer, and less noticeable, and the leaves on upper growth usually have smooth edges, with no spines. This is perhaps a defense for small plants against being grazed.

In fall you will certainly notice the wonderful wall of fragrance that comes from this bush, but it might take you a few moments to discover its exact source. Nestling among the leaves are clusters of tiny, tubular white flowers, each with four petals. These open in late fall, and they may continue to be produced well into winter in mild areas This hybrid plant is a male tree, so no berries are produced.

Using Fortune’s Osmanthus in Your Garden

This shrub is relatively slow-growing, so it should be planted where it is valuable while smaller, but where it has room to develop over time into a larger plant. It can be grown in a shrub bed, or around your home among other evergreens. It can be grown as a hedge, border or background, left naturally, or trimmed as you choose. It is also very valuable as a container plant, and once it becomes too large for the planter it can be transplanted into the garden. As it becomes taller it can be gradually pruned up into a small, multi-stem tree, making an attractive feature surrounded by smaller shrubs.

Hardiness

Fortune’s Osmanthus is hardy in zone 7 and tolerates temperatures close to zero without damage. As a container plant it should be grown in zones 8 and 9 only. It grows well in warm and humid conditions, and it thrives in all the milder parts of the country.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun to full shade suit Fortune’s Osmanthus, although growth may be thinner in full shade. Partial shade, with morning sun and afternoon shade is ideal, especially in hot areas and in dry soil. It will give its best in moist, acidic, well-drained soil, but it grows well in ordinary soils, including alkaline ones, particularly if they are enriched with organic material, and the plant is mulched regularly. Once established it has good drought tolerance for ordinary dryness, but it should be watered if possible during severe drought.

Maintenance and Pruning

No particular attention is needed to grow this plant. It normally doesn’t suffer from any pests or diseases. A little evergreen fertilizer in spring will keep it growing vigorously. It can be trimmed at any time between spring and early fall, but too much trimming will reduce flowering. For hedges plant at 2 feet intervals for lower hedges, and 3 or 4 feet intervals for tall ones.

History and Origin of Fortune’s Osmanthus

Robert Fortune was a Scottish botanist in the 19th century who is famous for stealing the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) from China and smuggling it to India for the British (although most of the plants he sent died, and are not the source of India’s teas). He also collected many new plants in China and Japan, some from the wild, but many from nurseries and gardens. One of those, brought to England in 1862, was the plant we know today as Fortune’s Osmanthus, or Osmanthus x fortunei. It was independently introduced into Holland in 1856 by the German botanist Philipp Franz von Siebold. This is a hybrid plant, a cross between Osmanthus fragrans, a less cold-resistant species, and Osmanthus heterophyllus, sometimes called False Holly, from which it gets its mixed thorny and thornless leaves. Both of these plants are native to Japan. Osmanthus fragrans is often called Tea Olive, because a few flowers were added to tea so as to perfume the tea with its delicious fragrance. That fragrance was passed on to Fortune’s Osmanthus.

Buying Fortune’s Osmanthus at The Tree Center

This plant may be quiet in its charms, but it is incredibly useful in any garden, and you will come to love its calm beauty and delicious fragrance. Many other gardeners already have, and it comes highly-recommended by many experts. Order now, because it will not be in stock for long.

Growing the Fruitland Osmanthus

Size and Appearance

The Fruitland Osmanthus is an evergreen shrub that grows naturally into a rounded, bushy form. In time it can become a broad, multi-stemmed tree. It is a sturdy bush with strong branches that doesn’t break or collapse, and it keeps its neatness when simply left to grow naturally. It will grow up to 12 inches a year under ideal conditions, reaching 8 to 10 feet in 10 years, when it will be 6 to 8 feet wide. Ultimately, untrimmed, it will grow to double those dimensions. The leaves are between 2 and 4 inches long, slender ovals, with a leathery texture and a glossy, dark-green color that is held all year round. On new growth and young plants, the leaves have a row of small spines down both edges, making them look a lot like a kind of holly bush. As the stems lengthen, and as the bush matures, the leaves tend to have fewer spines, and in older plants they tend to be completely or almost spineless.

Between September and February, depending on where you live and the age of your plant, you will smell the most wonderful fragrance around your bushes. You might not at first see where it is coming from but look a little closer and you will find clusters of small white flowers among the leaves. These release the most beautiful scent, which spreads widely around the garden, and is used in some of the world’s most expensive perfumes. Most of the flowers open through fall, but in warmer zones this bush will continue to blossom all through winter, whenever the temperature rises a little. Older plants bloom for longer periods. These tiny flowers are tubular, with four open petals, and since this is a male tree you won’t see the insignificant black berries sometimes seen on other Osmanthus.

Using the Fruitland Osmanthus in Your Garden

The Fruitland Osmanthus is a natural choice for foundation planting, because it will grow round and bushy without needing constant trimming. How much better is it to grow a plant that is not only lush and green, but produces that wonderful fragrance, than to settle for boring evergreens that are simply green leaves, always needing trimming and tidying? Grow it as an informal hedge, or a trimmed one, in your shrub beds, or beside a path through a more natural part of your garden. This is also a great container plant, and once it grows too large, simply place it out in the garden.

Hardiness

The Fruitland Osmanthus is fully hardy in zones 7, 8 and 9, but also in the border areas between zones 6 and 7, such as Tennessee, and even in sheltered spots in zone 6. This makes it one of the most cold-resistant of all the Osmanthus. In zone 6 plant it in a place sheltered from winter winds, such as against a wall of your house, and mulch over the roots in fall to reduce ground freezing.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

The Fruitland Osmanthus grows well in full sun, and just as well in partial shade. It will even tolerate light full shade, but the growth will be more open. Morning sun and afternoon shade are ideal during the summer in the hottest areas and in drier conditions. The perfect soil is moist, well-drained and slightly acidic, but this tough plant will grow in most soils, and once established it is moderately resistant to drought – this is definitely not a ‘fussy’ plant.

Maintenance and Pruning

There are no important pests or diseases found on the Fruitland Osmanthus, and it really needs no particular care or attention at all. Water regularly until it is established and growing well, and some evergreen fertilizer in spring will help maximize the growth rate. It can be trimmed in spring, and again through summer and into fall if you wish, but trimming too often will reduce flowering, and it is naturally neat anyway.

History and Origin of the Fruitland Osmanthus

The Scottish botanist Robert Fortune was responsible for bringing many new plants out of China and Japan around the middle of the 19th century. Many of his plants were found in nurseries, and that is where he found the shrub we call Fortune’s Osmanthus, Osmanthus x fortunei. It was independently introduced into Holland in 1856 by the German botanist Philipp Franz von Siebold. This hybrid plant was presumably created by Japanese gardeners at some time in the past, and it brings together the fragrant tea olive, Osmanthus fragrans, with the false holly, Osmanthus heterophyllus. The first of these is used to perfume tea, but it is a very tender plant. The second gives the offspring their spiny leaves. Fruitland Nurseries was a grower in Augusta, Georgia, on land that has been the Augusta National Golf Club since 1932. Some time before that the nursery selected a new plant from among plants of Fortune’s Osmanthus. It had slimmer leaves and it was much more cold-resistant. It was named ‘Fruitlandii’, or the Fruitland Osmanthus.

Buying the Fruitland Osmanthus at The Tree Center

We love the gentle beauty of the Fruitland Osmanthus, but we especially love how cold-resistant it is, and how it let’s gardeners in zone 6 enjoy the wonderful fragrance and beauty of these plants. We have found some great young plants that will really settle in quickly to their new home at your place, but we couldn’t find many, so order yours now, before they are all gone.

Growing Gulftide Osmanthus Bushes

The Gulftide False Holly is a dwarf selection of the False Holly. This plant is also sometimes called Holly Olive, and thrives throughout the milder areas of the country, from zone 6 to 9. When young it should be regularly watered, but it is drought resistant when well established in the garden. It grows to about 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide, making a perfect background or mid-ground shrub among your other plants. With its glossy leaves it always looks attractive. At first glance it might be mistaken for a holly bush, but if you look more closely you will see that the leaves are in pairs up the stems, while true holly has the leaves placed one at a time along the stems.

Appearance

This plant is unusual because it produces two kinds of leaves. The leaves of the new shoots are spiny, just like a holly bush, which of course it where this plant got its common name. These leaves have 3 to 5 spines along each side, and one at the tip of the leaf. The leaves that develop on older stems are more rounded, without spines, and up to 2½ inches long. This spiny growth protects the plant from deer, so if you have deer coming onto your property in winter, you will appreciate how valuable that quality is.

In fall, small flowers are produced in the space where the leaf meets the stem. These are small, but in clusters, and each flower has four petals. Although not the precise variety used for perfume making, it has a similar scent, often compared to the smell of ripe apricots. These flowers develop in fall, which is unusual, and makes this plant more valuable, since most other flowering plants have finished blooming by that time of year. Sometimes the blooms are followed by small, dark purple-black fruits that are the reason for the name holly olive.

Planting and Initial Care

Choose a sunny or shady location for your Gulftide False Holly. In hotter areas it will benefit from afternoon shade, and its ability to grow in full shade, beneath trees and in the shade of buildings, is a great asset for this plant. It will grow best if the soil is enriched with plenty of organic material, and if it receives regular watering. Once established it is resistant to normal periods of summer drought. It has no particular pests or diseases and it is deer resistant. In colder parts of zone 6 it is a good idea to water well in late fall and mulch the ground over the root-zone, to protect the roots from freezing hard.

History and Origins of the Gulftide Osmanthus Bush

False Holly (Osmanthus heterophyllus) is a plant native to Japan and the island of Taiwan. It was introduced into Europe and North America in the middle of the 19^th century, during the great opening up of Japan to trade with the rest of the world, and especially with America. In Japan and Taiwan it can grow into a large tree, but in cultivation it is usually seen around 10 feet tall. ‘Gulftide’ is a selected more compact variety greatly admired, by gardeners in the know, for its dense form, deep green leaf color and robust, spiny and slightly twisted leaves. Its exact origins seem to have been lost. Cheaper seedling plants will be very inferior to this carefully selected variety, so don’t be disappointed by taking inferior cheaper plants that might be offered you.

The Goshiki False Holly has lots of other advantages too, starting with its ability to grow in any garden conditions, from full sun to full shade and everything in between. So no more having to put a plant where it wants to be, not where you do; with the Goshiki False Holly just plant it where ever is best for you and it will be happy. It will also grow in most types of soil, from sand to clay, but does not do well in very wet conditions, since it likes a well-drained soil. It will grow from zone 6 into the warmest areas, so across most of the country it will be happy.

Growing Goshiki False Holly Bushes

As a foundation plant around your home, the Goshiki False Holly is the perfect choice. It will grow steadily to about four feet tall and five feet across. If you have enough room it will eventually reach ten feet and even more across, but since it can be clipped easily at almost any time of year, the ultimate size is up to you. The more you clip the denser it will grow and those lovely pink new shoots will be produced in profusion.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

The Goshiki False Holly is tolerant of a wide range of sun and shade conditions. Its growth will be densest in full-sun, but it will happily grow in shade too. It will also grow in all kinds of soil, from clay to sand, as long as it is well-drained. It prefers a steady supply of water, but it has good drought-resistance once established. This plant is free of pests and diseases so little attention is needed, making this truly a low-maintenance, self-sufficient plant.

Planting and Initial Care

To plant your Goshiki False Holly, choose a location in sun or shade. If you are planting a screen or hedge, allow 3 feet between the plants. Add some rich organic material to the planting soil, such as garden compost, well-rotted manure, rotted leaves, or peat-moss. Dig a hole 3 times the width of the pot and plant your shrub so that it is at the same depth as it was in the pot.

Water it well during planting – the best way is to partially fill the hole with soil, firm it down and then flood the hole with water. When all the water has drained away you can then replace the rest of the soil. During the first growing season water your plant once a week, or even more on sandy soil during hot weather. Once established it should be watered regularly but it will tolerate dry periods quite well.

Pruning

This is a relatively low-maintenance plant, so little or no pruning is required for the Goshiki False Holly, as it will naturally develop into a rounded shape. If you wish to clip it for a neater, denser look, do this in any season, but late winter is best, before the new growth comes, to get the best color effects.

History and Origins of the Goshiki False Holly

The False Holly (Osmanthus heterophyllus) grows wild across most of Japan and it is a relative of the beautiful Fragrant Tea Olive. It is an evergreen shrub that can reach 20 feet or more under ideal conditions, but is usually considerably smaller, at around 7 to 10 feet in height and the same across. The glossy leaves are 2 to 2½ inches long and about 1 ½ inches across, with three or four triangular teeth with a spiny tip. When this plant becomes older the leaves lose their spines and become rounder. Although related to the olive tree, the leaves do look a lot like those of the holly tree, which is why it is called False Holly. You can easily tell it is not a true holly because the leaves are in pairs opposite each other on the stems, not alternating as they are on a holly tree.

The small flowers appear in fall and are white, fragrant and in clusters of about five flowers. These are followed by small blue berries which persist for some months. Young plants often do not flower for several years, which is another reason why the Goshiki False Holly, with its colored leaves, is a superior plant for the garden. As well, it is a lot hardier than the wild plant, and will be un-damaged in cold winters.

The Goshiki False Holly was developed in Japan and introduced into America in the 1970’s by Barry Yinger, a well-known collector of Asian plants, known for introducing wonderful new varieties of plants to American gardeners. It was later distributed across the country by a large Californian nursery.

Buying Goshiki False Holly Bushes at The Tree Center

Because the Goshiki False Holly is such a special plant it must be correctly grown to preserve its wonderful range of leaf colors. Our plants are produced from stem pieces of the best-looking plants, so avoid cheaper seedling plants or un-named specimens, which will lack all this plant’s ideal qualities and be very inferior. Our Goshiki False Holly plants are true to the original form of this plant and will be ideally suited for your needs. However, we are constantly renewing our stock to make sure our customers get fresh, healthy plants, so supplies of this tree may be limited. We also invite you to browse our entire collection of Osmanthus Bushes, and add even more variety to your garden.

It forms an attractive, evergreen shrub or small tree growing to 12 or 15 feet tall and about 8 feet across. In time it will grow taller, turning into a small tree with several trunks. It can be grown from North Carolina throughout the South to Texas and throughout the coastal Western states in most kinds of soil and has few needs. It will grow in most soils, take full-sun or partial-shade and it has no pests or diseases. It makes a great specimen shrub or it can be grown as a screen and even as an informal hedge without any pruning being needed.

Growing Fragrant Tea Olive Trees

The Fragrant Tea Olive (Osmanthus fragrans) originated in China and Japan and is the most prized member of a group of shrubs variously called Tea Olives, Osmanthus, or False Holly. It is an evergreen shrub that can reach 20 or even 30 feet in height under ideal conditions, but is usually considerably smaller, at around 10 to 15 feet in height and perhaps 6 to 8 feet across. Older trees may be as wide as they are tall and develop a vase shape with several trunks and foliage retained low down on the plant. The leaves are 3 to 5 inches long, with small teeth on the edges, so that they resemble holly a little. This plant is easily distinguished from holly because the leaves are in pairs opposite each other on the stems, not alternating as they are in holly.

Appearance

The flowers appear in fall and are white or pale-yellow in color. Individually they are small, but because they are in clusters the plant is quite showy in flower. It is not for the visual beauty of its flowers, however, that this plant is so prized, but for its intense fragrance, that will fill the garden with the delicious scent of ripe peaches and apricots. Its scent has also been described as a combination of gardenia and jasmine. This is the most intensely-scented of all the Tea Olives and its fragrance is a true delight. In China and Japan it is highly prized and is used to flavor teas, jams, cakes and liquors. The flowers are followed by small and attractive if inconspicuous blue-black berry clusters which persist for some months.

Hardiness

The Fragrant Tea Olive is normally considered fully hardy in zone 9, but its hardiness is a little more complex than that. Although it can be damaged by a rapid drop in temperature to 20⁰F, it is also hardy all the way to 0⁰F in areas where cooling is gradually and the plants have a chance to adapt. So if you live in zone 8 and also in the warmer parts of zone 7, you will be successful with this plant in most normal winters. In colder areas flowering may be split by winter and flowers will appear in fall for a time, then stop and resume in the early spring with the first warmer days. So flowering can be more or less continuous from October to March, perfuming your garden for half the year.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

The Fragrant Tea Olive is tolerant of a wide range of sun and shade. Its growth will be most dense in full-sun, but it will happily grow in light and even moderate shade too. It will also grow in all kinds of soil, from clay to sand, as long as it is well-drained. It prefers a steady supply of water, but it is moderately drought-resistant once established. It is free of pests and diseases, so little attention is needed, making this truly a low-maintenance, self-sufficient plant.

Care and Maintenance

During the first growing season water your plant once a week, or even more on sandy soil during hot weather. Once established it should be watered regularly but it will tolerate dry periods quite well. Little or no pruning is required for the Fragrant Tea Olive as it will naturally develop into a rounded shape. It can be trimmed if required and this is best done shortly after flowering has finished. Mulch over the roots and be careful with grass-trimmers and garden tools as the bark is thin and easily damaged.

Buying Fragrant Tea Olive Trees

Over time the most attractive, compact and free-flowering forms of the Fragrant Tea Olive have been selected and to preserve these ideal properties the plant must be produced correctly. Our plants are produced from stem pieces of the best-looking plants, so avoid cheaper seedling plants which will be variable and may lack all this plant’s ideal qualities. All of the Fragrant Tea Olives that we have to offer are true to the original form of this plant and will be ideally suited for your needs. However, we are constantly renewing our stock to ensure our customers get fresh, healthy plants, so supplies of this tree may be limited.