osmanthus

When it comes down to it, fragrance trumps all in my garden. I try to choose plants that have low water use, those that are native, and those that fit a design scheme such as form and color, but when push comes to shove (or shovel, as the case may be), the plant that has the fragrance wins. I've got to have fragrance in the garden. These fragrances are something that usually can't be bought, can't be photographed, sent, or easily preserved. You have to grow it, and you have to be there, to experience it.

The Osmanthus heterophyllus was planted when one fall day I took one whiff and it had to be in the garden. It was before that part of the garden became the "fire and smoke" garden Now, even though this garden is now supposed to be mainly native plants, it's still there. When one garden visitor commented, "what's THAT doing there?" I just shrugged. I think it looks enough like the scrub oak leaves to blend in. Obviously my guest didn't. Anyway, it's not for the visual appearance that the Osmanthus was placed in the garden. It's the fragrance. There's no way I could take it out. He visited the garden in the summer and the Osmanthus only blooms in the fall. Maybe if he smelled it he'd understand, but some people just aren't as interested by fragrance as I am.

Osmanthus heterophyllus usually blooms just when the temperature gets nippy and in some years its performance gets cut short by cold temperatures. It's a warm November this year, however, and hopefully the flowers will last. Today when I went into that area of the garden, the exotic cinnamon fragrance filled the corner and transported me to heaven. It will stay.