Yes, you can be very successfully doing it. Fudingzhu is a four seasons variety. Growing to 20 feet tall is going to be a long journey. Four seasons tends to be very shrubby. Preferably trimmed into a ball. Even 4 feet is achievable.

Just remember to prune it to a ball shape.

Doesnt it take decades for an Osmanthus to reach to 20 feet mark?

In a pot..Yes

In ground, no.

Let me tell you, if it wern't for yellowthumb, I wouldn't of known of this plant, and would not of gotten an addiction to buying them. I love these plants!

Thanks yellowthumb! I hope you are well

Mike

Will an osmanthus fragrans survive the winter in NYC? I am in philly, always wanted an osmanthus fragrans but was told over and over again that it can't take our winters.

Silverneedle,
I am in South Carolina down by Augusta, GA where the Masters are playing this week in zone 8, and a few of my tea olives have a little winter damage on them due to cold winds and snow we had this year.
It got all the way down to the 20s at night for a couple weeks this year which is unheard of here.
No, you can't grow a sweet olive or tea olive in zone 6.
Trust me.
Grow it inside. They do well inside.

butterfly4u, I know, thus I asked the OP when I noticed his location (NYC, which is not warmer than Philly). I just went back and re-read his post, and I noticed that he wanted to put it in his mother's garden. I am guessing that his mother's house must be in a warmer zone than NYC.

Hello Again!

Sorry for the delay in getting back to all of you but thank you so much for the posts! Well, you made me feel real good about the possibility of keeping it short and trim...but the question was raised about location. Yes, you are correct, my mother and I are in NYC and I was looking to plant this in her garden. We are in zone 7 and the online nursery said it could grow here. They recommended wintering it inside the first winter but then after that it was OK outside.

But some of the comments above have me nervous. For the person in Philly, are you saying you tried and they didn't survive?

Is there anyone else in my area that could comment on their experience with these beautiful trees?

From what I could tell when I looked into the matter for myself (I'm in zone 7 Delaware - not sure I see how NYC would be 7, except maybe around Long Island?), Osmanthus Fragrans would be borderline, at best. Probably not successful.

Not wanting to abandon the idea entirely, however, decided on an osmanthus heterophyllus, instead. Rationalization being its hardier and fall fragrance might actually work better, as in the future I hope to have enough other shrubs (e.g.-Korean Spice Viburnum) for Spring fragrance, anyway.

Yes, we are on Long Island by the Queens/Nassau County border. Well, periodically I look up my zip code using those hardiness zone by zip code locators and they always say 7. WHat's funny here is that I went just now to doublecheck before responding and I used the look-up on garden.org and they said 6b! I have never seen that in my life.

Now I thought I really HAD gone crazy so I went to about 10 other sites with look-up features and every one of them said my zip places me in zone 7. I'd like to go with the majority but it may not matter based on you answer.

If I am understanding you right, your investigation seemed to indicate it wouldn't do well in zone 7, is that right?

Customer service from Logee's greenhouses said this was a zone 7 plant. Now I am even more confused on what to do than before...

Gardening zones are only a rough approximation of cold hardiness. Additional hardiness factors determining a plant's long term survival include; soil moisture and rainfall, humidity, frost free number of days, summer heat, wind, mulching, snowcover, sun exposure, urban heat islands and other micro-climate factors (for example--being on the south side of a building). Having said that, NYC and its immediate suburbs (including much of Long Island, and nearby NJ) are classified now as zone 7a (Manhattan is probably closer to 7b).--(I've seen impatients and geraniums blooming in backyards in Manhattan--at Christmas!) Some of the zonal map sources have reflected milder winters around the NYC area by extending "zone 7" somewhat north and west of NYC (whereas in the past, zone 7 was limited to NYC itself). Part of explanation for the relative mildness of the NYC/Metro climate is the "urban heat island effect", after all, there are over 14 million people in the greater NYC Metro Area (consider the associated cars, homes, buses, buildings,factories, and asphalt that help to sustain that heat--especially at night). In addition, NYC and its immediate suburbs are greatly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound. (Not to mention the role that general climate warming may be having on the area). In fact, in the last two years, I have seen all manner of strong zone 7 ("indicator") plants being sold in and around NYC (including Southern Magnolias, camellias, bamboos, and hardy palms).

Getting back to your Osmanthus, given a favorable micro climate, I would bet that the plant would survive and flower in your area. But doubt that it would reach the proportions that it would in the South. I would also expect some degree of yearly die back. Also, keep in mind that even under the best of circumstances, Osmanthus is relatively slow growing.

I have an Osmanthus in a container that I have been meaning to put into the ground. I have been overwinters M. grandiflora for decades now, and have cold hardy success with camellias, Fatsia japonica, hardy palms and even a loquat. So if Osamanthus is truly zone 7 it should not die for me. Good luck!

Hi Romannyu, I am the one in Philly and yes I have tried multiple times to winter an osmanthus fragrans in the ground and they never did survive. And mind you, this is with wrapping and heavy mulching. Of course, we are in the burbs and not the city proper, so we don't get the "heat island" benefit.

Strangest thing is in China, I have seen thousands of Osmanthus Fragrans covered in snow and frost and they don't seem to mind at all. I think Osmanthus Fragrans is borderline in even 7A (at least our nurseries rate it 8 and above), meaning that established plants can take it, but young plants are particularly vulnerable. So if you are lucky and get a couple of mild winters as head start, you might make it. Or really baby it, meaning wrapping and the whole 9 yards

I think in China they graft Osmanthus Fragrans onto Fringe Tree root-stock.

I am considering purchasing this wonderful plant and grow it in the ground, but I live in NJ (southern part). Some of the postings here really get me concerned if Fudingzhu can survive winter in my area. Has anyone ever had success growing it in NJ/PA suburbs?

I would buy two and keep one over wintered inside just in case.

If it works out and it does survive, I would love to be the first to know and how you did it.

I am not sure if anyone has ever grown one in the ground so far up north, but we shall see:-)

Have a great day

Mike

Not sure if anyone follows this thread, but I'm in Northern Virginia and have three sweet tea olive plants I bough three years ago. They grow beautifully and last until late fall but they always lost all their foliage in winter. They grow back for me in the spring but I lose some of the last year's growth. This past winter has killed one. So my lesson has been to keep them outside until November or so, and then move them to the pot and bring them inside. I wouldn't grow a big shrub that I can't move inside.