Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Shrubs

Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Purpureus'

holly olive 'Purpureus'

A compact, evergreen shrub to 4m tall, with leathery, spiny, holly-like, dark green leaves, dark blackish-purple when young, and small, fragrant tubular white flowers, in clusters, in late summer and autumn

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
16 suppliers

Ultimate height

2.5–4 metres

Time to ultimate height

10–20 years

Ultimate spread

1.5–2.5 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained, Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

South–facing or North–facing or West–facing or East–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Oleaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Osmanthus can be evergreen shrubs or small trees with leathery, opposite leaves and small, usually fragrant, tubular white, yellow or orange flowers with 4 lobes, followed by ovoid blue-black fruits
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in well-drained or moist but well-drained soil in sun or partial shade; good for woodland gardens

Propagation

Propagate by semi-hardwood cuttings

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Low Maintenance
Flower borders and beds
Hedging and screens

Pruning

Pruning group 9

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.