Sweet Osmanthus

Sweet Osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans) is bought for one reason and it delivers on it: the perfume. The flowers are tiny, cream to white and easy to miss among the glossy leaves, yet they throw a warm apricot scent that carries across a courtyard. The plant is a well behaved evergreen shrub to about 4m tall and 3m wide, dense enough to hedge and safe to grow where cats and dogs roam.

Why you'll love it

• Perfume you can smell from metres away. Flowers the size of a match head give off a scent like ripe apricots, strongest in still evening air.
• A hedge and a fragrance plant in one. Glossy dark foliage holds year round, so it screens properly, not just for the two weeks it flowers.
• Genuinely wide climate range. Frost hardy at one end, humidity tolerant at the other, so it performs in Melbourne and Adelaide as well as in Brisbane.
• Safe around pets. Cats and dogs can brush past or chew a leaf without trouble, which rules a lot of scented shrubs out.
• The flowers are edible. They have scented tea for centuries, and a handful in a pot of green tea is worth trying.

Where it works best

Fragrant screening and hedging. Plant 1.5m apart in a single row. At that spacing the plants meet without crowding, giving a screen at 2m to 3m.

Near where you sit and walk. Scent is wasted at the back fence. Plant within a few metres of an outdoor table, a front entry, or a bedroom window.

Pots and courtyards. It takes container life well and stays proportionate in a large pot for years, and a pair either side of a doorway is a classic use.

Growing Sweet Osmanthus in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade both work; in hot inland gardens afternoon shade keeps the leaf colour deeper. It suits subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate zones, and frost is not an issue once established.

Soil. Any reasonable garden soil with drainage. Dig compost through the bed and mulch 75mm deep, kept clear of the stem. On heavy clay, plant on a mound.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then only as needed: it is drought tolerant once established, though steady moisture before flowering gives a heavier display. Feed with slow release fertiliser in early spring and late summer.

Pruning. Prune lightly straight after a flush of flowers. It reshoots from older wood, so an overgrown plant can be cut back hard and rebuilt over a season.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in tube stock, 140mm packs of ten and 200mm packs of six. All three are young plants, which is the sensible way to buy this shrub: it establishes readily, and a spring planted tube will be a knee high bush by the end of its first season. For a hedge, the 140mm pack of ten is the most economical way to plant at 1.5m spacing.

Plants are packed to travel upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Expect the first light flowering in the second or third year, building as the plant fills out. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse more fragrant plants for Australian gardens
• Compare hedging and screening options
• Find a pot for a container grown shrub
• Preparing a garden bed before planting

Common questions

When does it flower and how long does the scent last?

It flushes on and off through the warmer months rather than in one burst, with the heaviest flowering usually in autumn. Each flush carries perfume for two to three weeks.

Is Sweet Osmanthus safe for dogs and cats?

Yes. It carries our pet friendly rating, so it is a sound choice for a garden where animals have free run.

Can I grow it in a pot long term?

Yes. Use a pot of at least 400mm, a quality potting mix, and slow release fertiliser every three months. Root prune every three to four years.