Osmanthus delavayi

sweet olive

  • © Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks

  • © Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks

Outstanding Qualities

Combining tiny, very dark green leaves and small, fragrant, tubular white flowers, this evergreen shrub provides year-round interest. Blooming in April, its flowers perfume the garden. Its leaves are .5 inch to 1 inch long. Adaptable and flexible, Delavayi's osmanthus can be clipped to form a hedge or screen or left to grow naturally. Its very dark foliage and fine texture create a punctuation mark in the perennial border and provide winter interest when other plants are dormant. Combine it with shrubs with larger or paler leaves. This plant has a great track record: Its was collected by Abbe Delavay in 1890 in Sichuan and Yunnan and sent to a French nursery for introduction.

Quick Facts

Plant Type: shrub

Foliage Type: evergreen

Plant Height (10-year): 5 ft. 0 in. (1.52 meters)

Plant Width/Spread (10-year): 7 ft. 0 in. (2.13 meters)

Plant Height-Mature: 20 ft. 0 in. (6.10 meters)

Plant Width-Mature: 20 ft. 0 in. (6.10 meters)

Hardiness: USDA Zones 7 to 9

Flower Color: white

Flowering Time: spring

Sun/Light Exposure: full sun or light to deep shade

Water Requirements: drought tolerant when established, but appreciates occasional watering

Wildlife Associations: birds

Culture Notes

The false holly is very easy to grow in full sun to deep shade, although it will flower less in more shade. It prefers well-drained soil, but will tolerate sand and clay. It is drought tolerant once established, but would appreciate occasional watering during dry weather, especially if in a sandy site. It can grow openly while it is young, particularly if it is in shade- light pruning can help keep this shrub dense in youth.