Friday, August 1, 2008

Osmanthus Won't Bloom

We included an Osmanthus in our landscaping when we built our new home and was told it would bloom with a white fragrant flower. It has failed to bloom since in was planted in November of 2006. Is it going through a shock period and should bloom this fall or do I need to add something to the soil to improve the conditions? We have lots of red clay and it gets plenty of sun.

-- Mary


Anne's Response:

I am not sure whether you have osmanthus fragrans or the holly osmanthus but both plants thrive in full sun. You may want to mulch the plant with some composted leaves or other garden mulch to improve th soil but osmanthus does not seem to be all that particular about growing condidions. Sometimes it just takes time for a plant to acclimate to a new location. Last summer was hard on some plants as they did not have the rain they needed during the summer to develop buds for fall flowering.

1 comment:

Brighter Blooms Nursery said...

I prefer the Fragrant Tea Olive type of Osmanthus. The sweet smell twice a year is delightfull, somehow it seems to act as some sort of bug repellent also, have others found this?