Native to China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, fragrant tea olive earns its genus name twice over: osme (fragrance) and anthos (flower), with the species epithet fragrans leaving nothing to the imagination. Growing 10 to 20 feet tall in zones 8 through 11, it blooms twice — early spring and again in fall — producing clusters of small white flowers whose perfume, reminiscent of apricot and jasmine, travels remarkable distances. Plant it near a path, entrance, or patio where that fragrance can actually be encountered.

In southern climates, afternoon shade is not optional; the sun bakes this plant into stress. Heavy clay is tolerated once established, but supplemental watering through hot dry stretches keeps it from sulking. It takes well to pruning — including as a tree or espalier — but prune right after bloom, not before, since next season's flowers form on this year's wood. The dried blossoms have long been added to black tea in China, lending the archive of this plant a culinary chapter as well.