Osmanthus fragrans 'Fudingzhu' Medicinal but the ecological generosity has

but the ecological generosity has not: the nectar-rich spikes feed bees

running wide and staying close to the ground

Large pinnate leaves cast a broad

a rare pure white-flowered maypop shared with us many years ago by our friend Gene Cline

a specialist that gathers pollen almost exclusively from these flowers

Osmanthus fragrans 'Fudingzhu' Medicinal but the ecological generosity has'Fudingzhu' turns the usual tea olive up a notch. Where most sweet osmanthus scatter a modest few flowers among the leaves, this selection smothers itself in dense, bead like clusters of small, creamy white blooms, so freely and for so long that the name is said to mean pearls upon the Buddha's head, for the way the pale flowers crown the plant. The scent is the pure osmanthus perfume, a rich sweetness of ripe apricot and peach that carries on the