Lakeshore Garden Centres Plant Finder

Other Names:  Fragrant Olive, Sweet Olive

Description:

Profusely blooming and sweetly fragrant pink flowers appear over variegated green and cream foliage; fall flowers in large clusters on the stems; may rebloom in spring; a great garden or container plant that takes pruning well

Ornamental Features

Misty River Fragrant Tea Olive is covered in stunning clusters of fragrant shell pink trumpet-shaped flowers along the branches from early fall to early spring. It has attractive creamy white-variegated dark green foliage which emerges chartreuse in spring. The glossy narrow leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. The smooth tan bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Misty River Fragrant Tea Olive is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a shapely oval form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Misty River Fragrant Tea Olive is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Topiary
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Misty River Fragrant Tea Olive will grow to be about 12 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 8 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant will benefit from an application of bonemeal and/or mycorrhizal fertilizer at the time of planting. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Misty River Fragrant Tea Olive makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.

This plant is not reliably hardy in our region, and certain restrictions may apply; contact the store for more information.