Fragrant Tea Olive

After back filling and lightly compacting the 50/50 mix of existing soil and compost give the Tea Olive a good deep watering. This is not to be rushed. Most of the water you put on the plant at first will run away from the plant until the soil is soaked. A general rule of thumb is to count to 5 for every one gallon of pot size. For example a one gallon pot would be watered until you count to 5 a three gallon pot would be 15 and so on. Check the plant daily for the first week or so and then every other day there after. Water using the counting method for the first few weeks. Gator bag Jr. can be used to help aid in this process and also provide plants with a good soaking due to the slow release of the water into the root-zone of the plant. Soaker Hoses can also be used to water when planting a long hedge.

Fertilize Tea Olives with a general purpose fertilizer very early in spring before any growth begins. Somewhat heavy fertilization will help maintain its’ foliage color, but don’t overdo it. Just be sure to fertilize each and every spring, being somewhat more generous than you would for other low maintenance shrubs. Tea Olives benefits from an fertilizer which can help raise the nutrient level of the soil such as Plant-tone by Espoma. When selecting a fertilizer for your Tea Olive, if soil Ph is not an issue a simple balanced fertilizer can be used such as Tree-tone. Since an organic method of applying manure and/or compost around the roots, produces excellent results and also improves the condition of the soil, this would be an excellent first line of attack. Organic additions to the soil can also be combined with a shot of chemical fertilizer for maximum effect. If chemical fertilizers are used on your Tea Olive, applying a slow-release, balanced fertilizer once a year in the spring is probably the simplest solution. There are many slow-release fertilizers on the market. If you can find a fertilizer formulated for shrubs and trees, this fertilizer would work well on Tea Olive. However, slow-release is certainly not the only way to fertilizer willows such as Tea Olives. A less expensive fast release fertilizer such as a 10-10-10 will work just as well if applied twice during the early spring and early summer. If you are looking for a fertilizing routine tailored to your specific conditions, a soil sample should be taken and the fertilizer and trace elements matched to the needs of your soil. Don't fertilize Tea Olive after August. Fall is the time for shrubs to begin preparing for dormancy. Fertilizing at this time may stimulate new growth that will be too tender to withstand the winter. In the South, a late May application and another in July would be about right. More northern areas may wish to fertilize only once in Early April or May. The amount of chemical fertilizer used per plant will vary with the size of the plant and it's root system. (Use less fertilizer for Tea Olive in a container.) Over-fertilization can be much more detrimental than under-fertilization. "Fertilizer burn" can occur when too much fertilizer is applied, resulting in a drying out of the roots and damage or even death of the Tea Olive. It is much, much better to err on the side of too little fertilizer than too much. When roots are burned, the first sign is often scorched looking leaves. If over-fertilization is severe, the plant may just wilt and die. If you are a beginning gardener growing plants like Tea Olives is very easy to grow however it may be helpful to know that a very small plant which is planted in the ground will take about 1/8 - 1/4 cup of fertilizer such as espoma organic shrub-tone. When fertilizing Tea Olives in pots, be careful to apply a fertilizer that will not burn the roots (such as a slow release or a liquid fertilizer). A very large shrub in the ground will take 2 - 3 cups spread around the drip line of the branches (not next to the trunk). This is a very loose estimate, so please read the directions on the fertilizer before applying it. Never fertilize a plant with a chemical fertilizer if the plant looks sick or wilted. If a plant is struggling due to a disease or root problems, the fertilizer will only add stress to it's life. Try to cure the problem before adding fertilizer.

We highly recommend that you mulch your Tea Olive with either a ground hardwood mulch or a ground cypress mulch depending on your local availability. Any type of mulch will do but cypress or hardwood mulch will be of a higher quality and provide better nutrition overall as they breakdown. Mulching helps to keep weeds away which will compete with your new investment for water and nutrients. A 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch is sufficient but remember to take care not to cover any part of the stem of the plant with mulch. Its better to leave a one inch gap of space between the mulch and the stem or trunk of the plant.

Tea Olives take to pruning and shearing very well, to either promote good color or maintain a manageable size. Pruning should be done while dormant, in either late winter or VERY early spring before new growth appears. If you prefer a more open and natural form, simply remove up to one third of the branches down to the ground each year or two. By thinning rather than shearing you will have an 4 foot tall and wide, elegant fountain of gorgeous variegated foliage. Or shear as needed to maintain size, or every 4-6 weeks to produce new colorful growth. Eventually your Tea Olive will develop thick central branches that become trunk-like, particularly if you are not pruning hard every year. Growth will be dense to the ground, or you can remove branches up a length of each trunk, resulting in a multi-stemmed dense form. Maintenance pruning is generally necessary as twigs develop up the length of the bared trunks. If there are too many main trunks, a few may be pruned out completely depending on the form you desire. Pruning has been described as a “combination of art and science.” I find pruning to be one of the most relaxing yet rewarding chores in the garden. Pruning a specific plant to look a specific way, involves art in creating a unique definition for a specific plant, and it involves science in understanding the physical growing habits of the plant to be pruned. The most important reason for pruning Tea Olives is to improve the overall health of the plant which in turn will reward you with a brilliant display of tri colored foliage. Many times, Tea Olives that have not been pruned in a few years will develop dead or degenerative twigs. Removing the dead and dying limbs will minimize the possibility of diseases such as “die-back” and will also allow the plant to re-concentrate its energies and produce flowers. Another reason for pruning Tea Olives such as many times, a plant may outgrow its intended size in the landscape, and must be pruned to re-define its purpose. Pruning should always be associated with re-invigorating a plant by allowing it to focus its energies on producing more vigorous branches, foliage, and flowers. Specific plant objectives require specific pruning techniques. If a Tea Olive is being trained as a hedge , it would need to be pruned differently than if it were being grown as a shrub form. Screenings and hedges of gardenias would need to be pruned for their specific purpose within the landscape. It is also important to understand the specific growing characteristic of a certain plants when pruning that particular plant. It is important to always use sharp tools when pruning Tea Olives or any plant for that matter. Knives, hand cutters, saws, and shears should be sharpened if necessary before pruning any plant. A sharp cut will heal quicker than a jagged cut, which will also minimize the likelihood of disease investing a cut during pruning. It is generally recommended by me to not use power equipment such as gas hedgers to prune plants. Pruning large Tea Olives may be minor or major. Its general purpose is to maintain or restore vigor to the plant. Large Tri-colored dappled willow that have been severely pruned have the advantage of a large root system that has excessive capacity, and its roots are capable of supplying all of its energies to a smaller number of branches and foliage. This enables the plant to increase its vigor, and become healthier. Pruning large Osmanthus that are well established will enable the plant to have continued vigor, and lead to many more years of supplying beauty to the landscape.