Plant in full sun along the coast to part sun or light shade and water regularly to occasionally. Hardy to temperatures down to 15 to 20F and useful in USDA Zones 8b and above. It does not do well with reflected heat or hot drying winds, but is pretty resistant to predation by deer. The glossy leaves make it a clean and nice looking shrub, but the sweetly fragrant small white flowers that perfume the air makes it a wonderful addition for any garden where it can be a specimen plant, used as a hedge por screen or trained as a small tree and makes a good container specimen.

Sweet Olive is native to Asia from the Himalayas east through southern China (Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan), Taiwan, southern Japan and south into Cambodia and Thailand. The name for the genus comes from the Greek words 'osme' meaning "fragrant" and "anthos" meaning "flower" and the specific epithet means fragrant. It is also commonly known as Fragrant Osmanthus, Sweet Osmanthus, Tea Olive and Fragrant Olive. We have grown this wonderful plant since the when the nursery opened in 1979. 

Information displayed on this page about Osmanthus fragrans is based on our research conducted about this plant in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about it as it has grown in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.