Osmanthus x fortunei 'San Jose' (Fortune's Osmanthus)

Osmanthus x fortunei 'San Jose' is a cultivar of Fortune's tea olive, a hybrid broadleaf evergreen shrub common in ornamental landscapes, that is noted for its more compact and manageable growth habit over the parent species. While Fortune's osmanthus already has the benefit of the attractive varied foliage of Osmanthus heterophyllus and the incredibly fragrant blooms of Osmanthus fragrans, the 'San Jose' cultivar adds additional ornamental value with showy new growth in shades of dark red and maroon. Growing to 15-20' tallbut slightly more narrow than other Osmanthus at only 4-6' wide, Osmanthus x fortunei 'San Jose' is popular as a hedge, foundation, or screen selection, but also works great as a specimen plant or forest understory selection with its relatively large size and good shade tolerance.

Beyond its slightly different appearance, 'San Jose' is additionally a later bloomer than the straight hybrid, wit inconspicuous white flowers blooming from early fall well into the winter, and its fragrant flowers attract a number of pollinators while adding beautiful sweet scent to a season where little else is in bloom. With its young leaves being bright green with deeply toothed margins and older leaves being dark green and widely lobed, Osmanthus x fortunei 'San Jose' always keeps things interesting for ornamental displays while simultaneously preventing deer browsing. For the most success, plant your Fortune's osmanthus in a location with full sun to partial shade, moist well-draining soil, and plenty of room to spread out, and don't worry about salt or drought, as this false holly can handle both like a champ.