If you like the look of holly but want something fragrant and non-invasive, consider giving Osmanthus heterophyllus a try. This member of the olive family has holly-like leaves with one to four spiny points on each side and small, white, four petalled flowers that bloom in the fall. You can easily distinguish between holly and O. heterophyllus by the arrangement of the leaves on the stems. Holly leaves occur alternately, while Osmanthus are opposite.
The word heterophyllus in its name has to do with the leaves on one plant having more than one shape. The leaves on younger, smaller Osmanthus are more pointed and leaves higher up and on older plants may develop no points at all. Scientific thought on this is that the pointy leaves evolved, just as like on holly, to discourage animals from browsing.
If you want to see examples of heterophylly in other plants, take a gander at any mature stand of English ivy. You’ll notice right away the leaves on the stems topped with flowers lack most of the lobes the lower leaves possess. Western hemlock, Tsuga heterophylla, is another very common example you can easily see for yourself any time you visit local forests or often your back yard. Examine a hemlock branch and you’ll find the rounded needles are several different lengths. This is one of the keys to identifying a hemlock. Another is the sweeping shape of the branches.
Other selling points for O. heterophyllus, also known as false holly, is that it’s evergreen, it also comes in a variety called Goshiki that has variegated green-pink-white-cream leaves, it does well in partial shade, it’s tough and hardy, and it won’t grow rapidly like a holly and quickly take over your entire landscape.
If you like fragrance but don’t get excited by holly-type leaves, there’s another type of Osmanthus that you will appreciate. Osmanthus fragrans has lance-shaped leaves that are more in tune with its place in the olive family and definitely comes by the name fragrans honestly. Its small, sweetly scented flowers range in color from white to orange. Also known as sweet olive, or fragrant olive, it blooms primarily in the spring, but can continue to throw out blooms into the fall.
Osmanthus plays a large role in Chinese culture and cuisine. The flowers are used in teas, sauces, wines, desserts and more and are also a staple in Chinese traditional medicine. More than one town in China claims Osmanthus as its symbolic flower, and festivals even revolve around it.
If you want to get the most out of fragrant shrubs like Osmanthus, plant them near patios and entranceways and along pathways where their scent can be enjoyed. Don’t relegate them to the North Forty unless you spend a lot of time out there or there’s someone in your household who’s hypersensitive to fragrances.
Osmanthus flowers are tiny enough that their scent shouldn’t be overpowering. But if anyone has a problem, I’d be happy to take those darn old bushes off their hands.
