A few decades ago, tea olive trees (often accompanied by azaleas and camellias) were standard landscape components in Central Florida. Indeed, the species (Osmanthus fragrans) was cherished for its ...

Question: I heard a friend talking about a shrub that flowers and releases a nice scent when the temperature makes a big change. Do you know what this might be and what conditions it likes? Answer: ...

Q: Several months ago my husband and I were at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales and had the chance to smell, and then see, a beautiful tea olive tree. We were astonished at the fragrance. There is ...

What’s your idea of a near-perfect plant? Here’s mine: It would tolerate heat and cold, bear fragrant flowers for months, have no significant pest or disease problems and would grow at a moderate pace ...

In Japan, and many other parts of East Asia, the wonderful aroma of osmanthus, otherwise known as the fragrant tea olive (Osmanthus fragrans) and known in Japanese as 金木製 kinmokusei, is a harbinger of ...

Q: On a family outing recently, we walked through a local neighborhood and were stopped in our tracks by the most wonderful fragrance! Reminding us of apricots, peaches, or jasmine, we searched for ...

If you happen to smell a lovely fragrance in the air this time of year, chances are it will be a tea olive (Osmanthus). Tea olives are a wonderful family of plants to use in the garden. They can be ...