How do you grow a osmanthus fragrans?

Osmanthus fragrans plants, or tea olives as they are commonly known, produce small flowers that carry a pleasing fragrance comparable to apricots, peaches, jasmine and orange blossoms. Growing and caring for tea olives is fairly easy.

1. Plant in a sunny location

   Tea olives thrive in full sun. They can also grow in partial shade, although the thickness of the growth does suffer. Provide multicolored tea olives with partial shade to avoid bleaching.

2. Use the right soil

   To prevent overhydrating the plant, use well-draining soil. Acid to neutral soils are ideal.

3. Plant them in the right conditions

   Space tea olive plants 4 to 6 feet apart. If they are in containers, be sure there are drainage holes.

4. Water regularly

   Water the plant on a regular basis as it develops and matures. After a full season, reduce watering to only when necessary, such as during a period of drought.

5. Fertilize the plant

   Annually or bi-annually in the fall, spread all-purpose fertilizer or compost on the root zone. Apply water to set it in.

6. Prune only as needed

   To ensure continued bloom growth, remove branches individually, rather than shearing large portions. To form a tree with numerous trunks, remove the lower lateral branches as desired.