Question: I heard a friend talking about a shrub that flowers and releases a nice scent when the temperature makes a big change. Do you know what this might be and what conditions it likes? Answer: ...

A few decades ago, tea olive trees (often accompanied by azaleas and camellias) were standard landscape components in Central Florida. Indeed, the species (Osmanthus fragrans) was cherished for its ...

This fast-growing plant can reach 20 feet tall and thrives in full sun or partial shade. While it can be used as a hedge, it may grow thin in the middle if planted in too much shade. Other varieties ...

Q: Several months ago my husband and I were at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales and had the chance to smell, and then see, a beautiful tea olive tree. We were astonished at the fragrance. There is ...

Q: On a family outing recently, we walked through a local neighborhood and were stopped in our tracks by the most wonderful fragrance! Reminding us of apricots, peaches, or jasmine, we searched for ...

A normally invisible plant is the fragrant olive (Osmanthus fragrans). When it is in flower, however, everyone will look for it. This shrub has leathery, dark-green ovate leaves with smooth edges. The ...

I recently overheard another Master Gardener state unequivocally that the Southern garden is defined by four plants: gardenia, magnolia, tea olive and camellia. Ironically, none of these classic ...

Sometimes good plants have a hard time finding homes because they don’t make enough impact at the garden center. Most people buy plants in spring and they tend to be most attracted to plants that have ...