Hi Guest,

There are around 30 species of Osmanthus, several of which are native to China. O. heterophyllus is originally from Japan & Taiwan, but is widely grown throughout the temperate world - including China. The species bears very fragrant flowers in autumn but they are small and not hugely ornamental and it's grown as much for it's Holly-like foliage as anything.

The most impressive Chinese Osmanthus, and very possibly the one that you are looking for, is O. delavayi, which produces huge numbers of very powerfully fragrant Jasmine-like flowers in April.

There's also a very widely grown hybrid of O. delavayi named O. x burkwoodii, which has almost all of the qualities of it's parent but is larger, more vigorous and hardier too.

O.yunnanensis is another very fine Winter-flowering Chinese species with much larger and more interesting foliage as well as small but highly fragrant flowers.

We grow all of these here and the fragrance on a medium/large plant is easily detected from a considerable distance - probably 50 feet or so - so you don't need to have them right beneath your bedroom window in order to enjoy the scent.

Ilex is correct - but you would have to have your bedroom window open in the winter to smell anything at all in there...

That's very true Bamboo....and another good reason to grow Osmanthus delavayi or O. x burkwoodii instead!