Sweet Olive

Name: Sweet Olive
Scientific Name: Osmathus fragrans and osmanthus heterophyllus
Family: Oleaceae

Soil: I find it prefers potting soil with rich organic compounds. I attempted to plant some of them on the ground mixed with garden soil and native sandy soil. After a few weeks of struggling, they all died. I find it dislikes sandy soil. The one I planted in the pot looks healthy and continued to flower all the way into late fall.
Sun: Some morning sun is preferred, but afternoon sun scorches the leaves and turns everything brown and dead.
Water: Water as needed.
Fertilizer: I usually feed it with acid loving plant food. It seemed to like it.
Care:As long as it is in the pots, very little care and attention is needed.
Tips:  avoid planting it on the south or west facing side of the house, for the afternoon sun can kill the plant.

Description:

There are a lot of various varieties of osmanthus gragrans based on the color of flowers: silver-white (Osmanthus fragrans Lour. Var. latifolius Mak.), gold-orange (Osmanthus fragrans Lour. Var.thunbergii Mak.), and reddish (Osmanthus fragrans Lour. Var. aurantiacus Mak.). Osmanthus hetophyllus is holly-like, including Osmanthus heterophyllus (aquifolium), and variegated Goshiki.

It grows in zones 8 and above and is cold-reisistent to 20 degree F. The most common one is just regular osmanthus fragrans, the silver-white version. As a matter of fact, I got both of mine from Lowe’s, Las Cruces and Lowe’s, El Paso. The ones I got from Las Cruces are one gallon size and only a few dollars a plant. The one I got from El Paso is a five gallon plant and have flowers all over it. It was a bit dismayed to see more than half of my sweet olives died after I planted them in the ground. The ones I left in pots are healthy and have born flowers on several occasions. Though the small white flowers clusters are hardly noticeable, their fragrant scent is sweet and refreshing.

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