How to Grow and Care for Tea Olive Shrubs

Fragrant tea olive, an evergreen broadleaf shrub or small tree, is one of about 15 species of tea olives, most of which are native to Asia and grow in warm climates. It is a dense, multi-stemmed plant with elongated dark green leathery leaves, producing small but extremely fragrant white flowers in spring, with sometimes a smaller secondary bloom period in fall.

Like other tea olives, fragrant tea olive is generally planted as a nursery-grown container plant in the fall, which allows it to slowly develop a good root system over the cooler winter months. Fragrant tea olive has a fairly slow growth rate, adding 4 to 12 inches per year, occasionally more in warm coastal regions. Once established, it is an extremely long-lived plant.

Tea Olive Care

Here are the main care requirements for growing a tea olive:

• Plant it in a spot with full to partial sun and moist but well-drained soil.
• Water young plants for the first reason and water established shrubs in the absence of weekly rain.
• Avoid abrupt temperature drops from warm weather to below-freezing temperatures.
• Fertilize with a slow-release fertilizer once in the spring.
• Prune moderately in the winter or early spring before new growth starts.

Light

Tea olive likes a good amount of sun but needs partial shade in southern climates. Certain varieties may show some leaf discoloration in full sun. Generally, four to five hours of direct sun will ensure the heaviest flowering. Especially in climates with very hot summers, afternoon shade is preferable to morning shade to prevent the late afternoon heat from burning the foliage.

Indoors, fragrant tea olive plant needs a very bright location with plenty of sun, away from heat ducts. As the plants often struggle when grown indoors all year, they are best moved indoors for the winter, then back outdoors during the warm spring and summer months.

Soil

Fragrant tea olive will grow easily in any good garden soil, but an average, moist, well-drained soil that is acidic to neutral (pH 5.0 to 7.5) is best. If the soil is too alkaline, use amendments to acidify it.

Avoid planting sites with soil that is too wet or perpetually soggy, as this may cause root rot.

Water

Established tea olive is fairly drought-tolerant, however, to thrive, it needs at least one inch of water per week so be prepared to water during extended periods without rainfall.

Newly planted shrubs should be regularly watered for at least the first growing season.

Temperature and Humidity

Since they grow best in warm zones, tea olives tolerate high temperatures and humidity. However, they're not suited for arid or desert climates, as they prefer the humid air found in the southeastern states.

The temperature tolerance also depends on the species. Osmanthus fragrans, one of the hardier tea olives, is winter hardy to about 10 degrees F (USDA hardiness Zone 8), provided temperature drops are gradual. But it suffers damage if temperatures fall too quickly from warm conditions to temperatures below freezing.

Fertilizer

These long-lived plants don’t need a lot of fertilizer if planted in rich soil that was amended with organic matter before planting. At the most, give it a single spring feeding with a slow-release shrub and tree fertilizer, ideally containing sulfur or iron.

Never feed a tea olive immediately before the onset of cooler winter weather, as new growth stimulated by feeding is easily damaged by frost. The exception is potted plants being moved inside for the winter—these do benefit from light feeding of slow-release fertilizer as they move indoors.

Types of Tea Olive

There are several naturally occurring forms and variations as well as cultivars of the fragrant tea olive: 

• O. fragrans f. aurantiacus: an orange-flowering form that often flowers in fall.
• O. fragrans var. thunbergia: also known as silver osmanthus is a yellow flowering variation.
• O. fragrans var. semperflorens: an extremely hardy variation that is winter hardy in USDA Zone 5. It produces continual flowers.
• 'Apricot Gold': a cultivar with highly fragrant apricot-gold flowers.
• 'Butter Yellow': a cultivar with bright yellow flowers.
• 'Conger Yellow': has yellow flowers. The leaves of this cultivar are somewhat showier than the species form.
• 'Fudingzhu': was bred for an extended bloom for up to several months. It is smaller in size than other cultivars and has creamy-white flowers.
• 'Orange Supreme': a cultivar with bright orange blossoms.

Other Osmanthus species that make excellent landscape plants and with care needs similar to O. fragrans are:

• O. americanus: a North American native species found in the maritime forests of the southeastern United States. It is the only species of tea olive that tolerates salt spray, making it ideal for coastal locations. It is a good choice for gardeners who prefer a native plant, though its flowers are less showy.
• O. heterophyllus, is the hardiest of all tea olive species. It is known as "false holly" due to its glossy pointed leaves. This plant blooms in late fall and reaches a height of up to 15 feet. There are many named cultivars of this popular plant, many of which are hardy to zone 6. Some cultivars have variegated foliage.
• O. delavayi , the Delavay tea olive, is one of the few spring-flowering tea olives with an abundance of showy white flowers. It grows 6 to 10 feet tall by 6 to 10 feet but can be pruned to a smaller size.
• O. x fortunei , a popular cross between O. fragrans and O. heterophyllus, combines the traits of both—toothed, holly-like leaves as well as fragrant flowers.

Pruning

Tea olives only need pruning when they get too big or develop unattractive or dead branches. The shrub can be trained as a small tree, shrub, or espalier or used in hedges.

Most tea olives are pruned at the end of winter or early spring before the new growth begins. The exceptions are O. delavayi and O. americanus, which should be pruned immediately after the bloom.

When grown as potted plants that are moved outdoors for the summer and back indoors for the winter, tea olives will require frequent tip-pruning to keep the plant at a manageable size.

Propagating Tea Olive

It is fairly easy to propagate tea olive from stem cuttings, unlike propagation from seed, which also does not produce a plant that is true to the parent. If you use seeds from a cultivar, you will have to wait for a long time for unpredictable results.

Because tea olive does not really have a dormancy period, it is possible to take cuttings any time between winter and early summer. 

1. Using clean, sharp pruning shears, cut a 6- to 8-inch stem just above a leaf node where a leaf meets the stem.
2. Remove all the leaves from the bottom half of the stem.
3. Dip the cut end of the stem in rooting hormone.
4. Fill a 4-inch pot with damp potting mix and poke a hole in the center with a pencil.
5. Insert the cutting in the hole so the leaf node is fully buried.
6. Cover the cutting and pot with a clear plastic dome or bag. Secure to bag to the pot with twine or a rubber band.
7. Place the plant in a warm, bright location but out of direct sunlight.
8. Keep the soil moist at all times.
9. Once roots have developed and new growth has started (this may take three to four months), remove the plastic cover.
10. With luck, a cutting taken in the spring may have grown into a healthy little plant that is ready to transplant to a garden location or a larger pot by late fall or early winter, but it's not uncommon to grow it indoors or in a sheltered outdoor location until the following spring.

Potting and Repotting Tea Olive

In regions where they are not winter-hardy, tea olives are often grown as potted plants.

The size of the pot should be at least 8 to 12 inches wider than the root ball of the plant. Heavy clay or ceramic helps wick away excess moisture from the soil; its weight also prevents the pot from tipping over. Make sure the container has excellent drainage and use drainage material such as gravel to line the bottom. Use an all-purpose houseplant potting mix.

As the shrub outgrows its pot, repot it as needed to a larger pot with fresh potting mix.

Overwintering

In their established hardiness range (USDA hardiness zones 8 to 11), no winter protection is necessary for tea olives. At the lower end of its hardiness range, however, the shrubs benefit from a thick layer of mulch over the roots in the winter. It also helps to plant the shrub in an area that protects it from the elements, such as near a fence or outbuilding. Young shrubs may benefit from a cage of hardware cloth to protect them against hungry wildlife.

When growing tea olive outside of its hardiness zones, it is best to grow it as a container plant that you move indoors in the fall.

Common Pests and Plant Diseases

The only serious pest problems affecting tea olives are scale and aphids, which are especially troublesome with plants moved indoors for the winter. Treatment consists of horticultural oil or insecticidal soap.

Drought-stressed plants are susceptible to Botryosphaeria canker. Cercospora leaf spot and anthracnose may occasionally occur. Phytophthora and Pythium root rots sometimes occur in poorly drained or excessively wet soil.

How to Get Tea Olive to Bloom

Bloom Months

Depending on the species, tea olive blooms any time between April and January. The principal bloom period is fall but some varieties bloom in the spring and summer. The plant has even been known to bloom sporadically year-round or intermittently at other times, even through the winter.

How Long Does Tea Olive Bloom?

Fragrant tree olives will usually display flowers for around two months in spring and summer, but it's quite common for them to bloom intermittently at other times, even through the winter. 

What Do Tea Olive Flowers Look and Smell Like?

The small flowers grow in large, showy clusters. Colors range from creamy-white, which is the most common, to pure white, pale to deep yellow, or orange. The flowers have an intense, delightful scent that is said to resemble jasmine, orange blossoms, ripe peaches, or apricots.

How to Encourage More Blooms

Several factors contribute to tea olive shrubs blooming successfully. One of the most important is ensuring your plant gets enough sunlight—the more light the plants receive, the better their flower display will be (that being said, you don't want your plant to get scorched by harsh rays). Beyond light needs, make sure to prune your plant at the right time of year (if at all) so you don't accidentally cut off soon-to-be blooms.

Caring for Tea Olive After It Blooms

Except for tea olives that should be pruned promptly after their spring bloom (see Pruning above), there is nothing to be done after the bloom.

Deadheading Tea Olive Flowers

It is not necessary to deadhead, as tea olives are self-cleaning—their spent blooms drop naturally.

Common Problems With Tea Olive

 One common issue with tea olives is leaf drop. It most often occurs with potted plants grown indoors, but it's also possible with outdoor garden plants. 

The likely causes of leaf drop are:

• Not enough water: These plants need moisture, and dry indoor winter air may cause desiccation that causes the leaves to drop. Indoor potted plants may well need daily light watering during dry winter months.
• Extreme temperature swings: This typically happens during the transition period as potted plants are moved from outdoor to indoor locations, or indoors to outdoors. Treat potted tea olives as you would seedlings, "hardening them off" by gradually acclimating them to new conditions.
• Too little light: Again, this is more likely with potted plants moved indoors, where it might be hard to find a sunny winter location. Potted tea olives will need the brightest window possible—or will need artificial light. Outdoor plants that drop leaves may be signaling that they are in a spot that's too shady. 
• Pest and disease problems: Unhealthy tea olives often drop their leaves, so make sure your plant is not struggling with scale or fungal disease.