In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

• Ask a question

« Pesky mushrooms in the lawn | In the Garden front page | Pesky racoons »

December 12, 2007

Winter flower with heavenly scent

Yikes! December has not only crept upon us quickly and quietly, it’s beginning to zoom by and soon it will be Christmas and then before you know it, 2008.

But just because winter is near it doesn’t mean it has to be flowerless. After all, this is sunny California. Over the next few weeks I’ll write about various winter blooming plants. Many are highly scented.

My favorite late fall/early winter bloomer is Osmanthus fragrans. For ten months of the year it’s nothing special, simply a green leaved shrub/small tree that blends well with almost any sort of foliage or flower. Suddenly one chilly fall day you’ll pull into the driveway, get out of the car and be greeted with the most heavenly fragrance. It will fill the air. It will be everywhere, and smell sweet and heady yet light. Neighbors will come and ask what’s blooming.
The white flowers are tiny, and come in clusters. Who would think something so small could scent an entire yard?

Osmanthus leaves are reminiscent of camellia, and from a distance you could mistake it for one. It isn’t exciting, not does it attract a lot of attention. That is, until it flowers. It’s a tough shrub, tolerant of many kinds of soils. Further, it doesn’t demand lots of water. I have an orange-flowering osmanthus growing behind the deck where there are no water lines. It gets watered when I remember, yet never fails to bloom and grow.

I recommend an osmanthus in every yard.

Ask a question

Please use the form below to submit your question. Because there is a 100-word limit for questions, a word counter is located directly beneath the box where you enter the your question.