Tea olive (Osmanthus fragrans) is a broadleaf evergreen that, true to its scientific name, produces tiny white blooms with an unmatched sweet citrusy fragrance.

The height of Osmanthus species can vary from 6 to 30 feet tall with a width similar in size to the height. The growth rate for tea olives is slow to moderate.

The tea olive is a deer resistant shrub and produces an oil that repels mosquitoes.

An added bonus: the honeybees from Will Green’s nearby beehive are enjoying it in great numbers.

The shrub pictured above grew over twenty years from a foot-high root transplant from the Canton, Georgia childhood home of Mary Donley Green.

Michael Green

October 9, 2020