Tea Olive: Southern Delight.

I walked down the driveway to check the mail when I noticed a familiar perfume in the air. Hmmm. Jasmine? No, wrong season and not cloying enough. What else is there around here? Ah. I remembered that we recently planted a tea olive. Poor thing was way over its “sell by” based on how root bound it was. I turned and there it was, blooming like crazy. New leaves and tons of blooms. And that fragrance. The air was filled with it. Sweet but not cloying and heavy in the near-fog of humidity. I think Osmandus was returning the favor and giving us a great big “thank you” for the rescue and planting. What is a southern yard without a tea olive or two? A disappointment that’s what. Now, a few more quintessential plants and we will have the complete southern garden.

Photo: img.photobucket.com/.../TeaOlive1.jpg