We have a couple of Tea Olive bushes that looked pretty ragged when we bought the house in 2018. Trimmed and fertilized and they both came back pretty nicely. Their fragrance in bloom is fabulous! My wife says they are doing so well because she threatens to cut them down!
Tea olives (Osmanthus species) are some of the most sweetly fragrant plants in Southern gardens. Their scent makes them ideal for planting near windows and outdoor living areas where the fall blooming flowers can be readily enjoyed. Tea olives grow as dense, evergreen shrubs or small trees. Their leaves resemble holly leaves, explaining another common name, false holly. They can be readily distinguished from hollies by their opposite leaves, hollies having alternate leaves.
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