New plants: Osmanthus heterophyllus Party Lights

Osmanthus heterophyllus, sometimes called holly-leaved tea olive, is a bushy evergreen shrub from Japan, related to olives. Its glossy green leaves are similar to those of regular holly, but on holly the leaves are held alternately on the stem, whereas on Osmanthus, they’re opposite. Also, unlike hollies, the fallen leaves do not harden into vicious spines as they dry. Sweetly scented white flowers open in autumn, followed by blue-black berries.
 
There are a number of

Variegated means having leaves or other plant parts with streaks, blotches or patches of different colours. Typically, these would be a combination of two colours, such as green and gold or green and white.

What’s so special about Osmanthus Party Lights?

The spring growth of Osmanthus heterophyllus Party Lights (‘Shien’) is its outstanding feature. The new stems and foliage is bright pink, maturing to a yellowish peachy shade and finally to green. As more growth develops, all the colours are seen on the plant at the same time.
 
Ted Stephens of Nurseries Caroliniana in South Carolina, who discovered and first introduced this variety, says: “When one first sees it, with its flush of new growth, one is speechless. It is truly that dramatic...”

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Where did Osmanthus Party Lights come from?

Ted Stephens explains how he discovered this unique variety.
 
“Often when I purchase a

Gardeners often use the word variety when referring to a specific plant, but the correct botanical term is 'cultivar'. Whichever word you use, it means a distinctive plant or plants, given a specific cultivar name and usually bred to enhance certain characteristics, such as flower or fruit size, colour, flavour or fragrance, plant size, hardiness, disease resistance, etc. Additionally, it is worth knowing that, botanically, variety has another meaning - it refers to a naturally-occurring distinct plant that only has slight differences in its looks. For example, Malva alcea var. fastigiata differs from typical plants by having an upright habit.

Growing Osmanthus Party Lights

This is a tough evergreen shrub, hardy down to H5 (hardy in a cold winter). It has been described by international shrub expert Michael Dirr as a “resilient and ironclad shrub, that withstands sun, shade, heat, drought, pruning and vandalism. Makes a superb hedge.”

As well as hedging, this low-maintenance shrub is ideal for coastal gardens or bringing evergreen focal points to borders for year-round structure and interest.
 

Where can I buy Osmanthus heterophyllus Party Lights?

Osmanthus Party Lights is currently still scarce in the UK, but you can buy it from Gardeners’ Dream, Coolings, and check here for RHS FindAPlant suppliers.