Sweet olive
Osmanthus × burkwoodii
Clips as tightly as a hedge plant needs to, and asks for almost nothing once its roots are down.
Light Sun or partial shade, with the best flowering in sun.
Water Water it while it establishes; drought-tolerant after that.
Height 3 m
Spread 9 ft 10 in
Spacing 300 cm
Spacing & sowing
- Plant spacing
- 9 ft 10 in
- In-row spacing
- 9 ft 10 in
- Between rows
- 12 ft 4 in
- Square-foot density
- Not suited to SFG
Growing
- Type
- Shrub · Perennial
- Botanical family
- Mixed / other
- Sunlight
- Sun or partial shade, with the best flowering in sun.
- Watering
- Water it while it establishes; drought-tolerant after that.
- Feeding
- A compost mulch in spring; it rarely needs feeding.
- Frost tolerant
- Yes
- Flowering
- April
- Pruning
- Prune once the spring flowers are over; it clips well.
Through the year
- Mar–Apr Spring Growth
- Apr–Aug Flowering
- Aug–Dec Growing
- Jan–Mar Growing
Companions
Box, Lavender, Roses
Pests & problems
- Generally trouble-free No notable pest or disease problems when grown in the right conditions — one of the easy ones.
The Cottage Garden Companion — the gardener's herbarium at cottagegardencompanion.com