Plant identification?

This plant is more bush like, it's tall, well over 12 ft tall and 9 to 10 feet wide. It smells very nice when blooming. I haven't a clue what it is. The other day it was green and full, and within 2 days it has dropped all of its leaves. I've never seen it do that before.

I have two of them. I believe it is Sweet Olive, (Osmanthus Fragrans) and it is aptly names. When I saw them for sale, one had two or three tiny (about 1\8 inch) flowers in bloom, and the amount of heavenly scent they put out made me buy them.

They have been rather slow-growing for me, but stay green down to surprisingly low temperatures here in 7b. This year's extreme cold has them turning brown now. I certainly hope they are ok.

Jordan Holland wrote:I have two of them. I believe it is Sweet Olive, (Osmanthus Fragrans) and it is aptly names. When I saw them for sale, one had two or three tiny (about 1\8 inch) flowers in bloom, and the amount of heavenly scent they put out made me buy them.

They have been rather slow-growing for me, but stay green down to surprisingly low temperatures here in 7b. This year's extreme cold has them turning brown now. I certainly hope they are ok.

This one in my yard is about 15 feet tall and the diameter around the lower limbs is about 10 to 12 feet. Is that typical?

Drew Leather wrote:
This one in my yard is about 15 feet tall and the diameter around the lower limbs is about 10 to 12 feet. Is that typical?

I wouldn't know. I've never seen anyone else where I live have any. At the current rate, it would take many years for mine to reach that size for sure. It is referred to as a tree, so I presume that wouldn't be outrageous.

Jordan Holland wrote:

Drew Leather wrote:
This one in my yard is about 15 feet tall and the diameter around the lower limbs is about 10 to 12 feet. Is that typical?

I wouldn't know. I've never seen anyone else where I live have any. At the current rate, it would take many years for mine to reach that size for sure. It is referred to as a tree, so I presume that wouldn't be outrageous.

I'm right at the bottom of what is considered the 7b zone. We've had so much nonstop rain and then that sudden 6° temperature that I was surprised it held on when it did, then suddenly, a week later, it just dropped all the leaves in one day.

Drew Leather wrote:
I'm right at the bottom of what is considered the 7b zone. We've had so much nonstop rain and then that sudden 6° temperature that I was surprised it held on when it did, then suddenly, a week later, it just dropped all the leaves in one day.

I noticed the same thing. Most plants die or lose their leaves pretty much right when it gets too cold, especially after a freeze, but I just noticed these turning brown a couple days ago.

Your tree is quite big to me. I'd like to have a sweet olive tree but it won't survive the winter in zone 6b. The flowers are edible and commonly used in oriental tea and pastry.

Jordan Holland wrote:

Drew Leather wrote:
I'm right at the bottom of what is considered the 7b zone. We've had so much nonstop rain and then that sudden 6° temperature that I was surprised it held on when it did, then suddenly, a week later, it just dropped all the leaves in one day.

I noticed the same thing. Most plants die or lose their leaves pretty much right when it gets too cold, especially after a freeze, but I just noticed these turning brown a couple days ago.

This is what is left. It was all green on Monday...

May Lotito wrote:Your tree is quite big to me. I'd like to have a sweet olive tree but it won't survive the winter in zone 6b. The flowers are edible and commonly used in oriental tea and pastry.

It smells decent enough and makes for good privacy but I drink my tea sweet and brown. Lol.

If you're interested in plant identification you may enjoy this new excerpt of Thomas Elpel teaching at the online permaculture design course about learning botany in a day.

Thomas's class is previewed here, where he talks about his own journey to plant identification. There's also a snippet of a plant walk discussing plant characteristics and patterns.

Watch the Thomas Elpel preview from the permaculture design course here