Osmanthus heterophyllus Perfume Party - Holly olive

smanthus heterophyllus 'PNOS01' Perfume Party® is a small-growing evergreen shrub which combines three lovely qualities: a naturally compact habit, decorative foliage all year round and a particularly fragrant autumn flowering. This selection is especially suited to small gardens and container cultivation in temperate regions. You will appreciate its scent every time you walk past.

This osmanthus belongs to the Oleaceae family, like lilac, jasmine or olive. The species Osmanthus heterophyllus has the common names holly-leaved osmanthus and variable-leaved osmanthus. The type species is native to East Asia: it is found from Japan and Korea to Taiwan, with an extension reported towards northern Vietnam. It grows in wooded areas or at forest edges, in a rather temperate environment. It is an evergreen shrub, sometimes a small tree in its native habitat.
The variety 'PNOS01' Perfume Party® has recently received a horticultural distinction, the Goud Green Grand Prix 2025. Its breeder is Satoki Matsui. Compared to the type species, this form has shorter, denser growth, smaller leaves, and more regular growth. The shrub forms a rounded bushy mass, heavily branched from the base. Its growth is slow to moderate. At maturity, you can expect approximately 1.5 m in height and a spread of 1.2 to 1.5 m, depending on conditions and climate. The leathery, thick and glossy leaves are like a small holly, but they are borne in pairs on the branches. Their margin bears a few spiny teeth, especially on young specimens; with age, some become less sharp. Young spring shoots display fresh coppery to orange tones. Flowering takes place in autumn, from September to November depending on the climate. The small but numerous flowers are born in the leaf axils. They are insignificant, tubular and white, with four lobes, remarkable for their sweet and powerful fragrance, with a surprising fruity note. The blue-black fruits are rare in cultivation.

In Japan, the false holly, called hiiragi, is traditionally planted near houses; its spiny foliage and fragrant flowering earn it a special place in gardens. In our gardens, this lovely variety, 'Perfume Party', can be used in the same way. Plant it not far from a front door, in a seating area, by the edge of a path or in a large pot on the terrace. To accompany it, you can vary foliage and seasonality with a compact and colourful Nandina domestica ‘Obsessed Seika’, Leucothoe fontanesiana ‘Scarletta’, with red-bronze tones or Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’, superb in bud. The black foliage of Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’ will highlight its coppery shoots and white flowers.

Osmanthus flowers are sometimes blended into tea for flavouring, or into biscuits, and are locally used to make a very ancient traditional Chinese liqueur served in jade cups. Perfumery also uses osmanthus absolute in the composition of high-end perfumes and cosmetics. Osmanthus absolute also has insect repellent properties. The bark and roots are used in traditional Asian medicine.