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Shrubs

Osmanthus × fortunei

Fortune's osmanthus

A fairly vigorous shrub, usually only up to 2m high inland, but up to 6m high in mild coastal areas, with broad-ovate, leathery, glossy dark green leaves up to 10cm long; the leaf margins have spine-tipped teeth, but leaves towards the tops of mature plants are often entire. Clusters of intensely-fragrant white flowers, each about 1cm across, appear in autumn, only occasionally followed by black fruit

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Ultimate height

4–8 metres

Time to ultimate height

10–20 years

Ultimate spread

4–8 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

West–facing or South–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Oleaceae
Native to the UK: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Osmanthus can be evergreen shrubs or small trees with leathery, opposite leaves and small, usually fragrant, tubular white, yellow or orange flowers with 4 lobes, followed by ovoid blue-black fruits
Name status: Correct

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, well-drained soil in sun or partial shade, with shelter from cold, drying winds

Propagation

Propagate by semi-ripe cuttings in summer with bottom heat, or by layering in autumn or spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Low Maintenance
Flower borders and beds
Banks and slopes
Hedging and screens
Wall side borders

Pruning

Pruning group 1 (little or no pruning of trees and shrubs) or pruning group 9 (late-flowering evergreen shrubs)

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus

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