Plant Finder

Other Names:  Tea Olive, Olive Holly, Holly-Leaf Osmanthus

Description:

The profuse, sweetly fragrant white flowers, and dense habit, makes this variety very appealing; flowers in fall, presenting large clusters on the stems; a great garden or container plant that takes pruning well

Ornamental Features

Party Princess® False Holly features showy clusters of fragrant white flowers along the branches in mid fall. It has attractive dark green foliage with pointy chartreuse spines which emerges coral-pink in spring. The spiny pointy leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. The smooth khaki (brownish-green) bark is extremely showy and adds significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Party Princess® False Holly is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a shapely oval form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spiny

Party Princess® False Holly is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• Topiary
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Party Princess® False Holly will grow to be about 6 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. It has a low canopy, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Party Princess® False Holly makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.