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Tea Olive provides wonderful fragrance
Tea olive does have it all over camellias for fragrance, however. Osmanthus will perfume its area with the smell of orange blossoms - or gardenias - or something indefinable, but decidedly wonderful from September until February. Even Michael Durr, a horticulturist at the University of Georgia, (a man not given to undeserved praise) says that the fragrance of tea olive "is overpowering". Tea olive's little white blooms have four petals and appear along the branches in groups of four or five. It begins blooming in late fall and flowers sporadically all summer. Osmanthus can't decide if it wants its leaf edges to be smooth or toothed. You will usually find both on the same plant. The leaves remain green and glossy year round. The tea olive in its youth is decidedly upright and doesn't crowd out its neighbors. As it ages it widens out (Don't we all?) and will eventually need some room. It grows very slowly for the first five years or so, but will reach its ultimate size of six to ten feet given time. Tea olive can be planted in full sun, but doesn't grumble about partial shade. It likes moist, welldrained soil that is a little acidic. It welcomes a handful of azalea fertilizer in late spring. Diseases and deer don't bother it much and it can be heavily pruned if needed. Sometimes you may notice an infestation of scale insects if growing conditions are poor. A spray with horticultural oil will usually rout them. Cuttings taken now can be propagated. Take them near the bottom of the plant and cut off all but the top two or three leaves. Place in a medium of sand and peat moss and leave outside in the shade until next fall. Keep the pot moist. I think tea olives planted near camellias would be a good idea - some to look good and some to smell good.
Dora Garrick Fleming lives in Grove Hill. E-mail her at: dorafleming@ galaxycable.net
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