Fall Favorite: Fragrant Tea Olive

     Next to watching football with my family and their September, October and November birthdays, for me the best part of fall is the fragrant tea olive.  Its multitude of tiny flowers, which blossom in the fall in our outer zone of hardiness, permeates the surrounding air with an intoxicating perfume often compared to the scent of a peach but with a bit of spice.  Each whiff I get evokes a nasal nostalgia for my carefree college days in Athens, Georgia. 

     One day my yard will be re-landscaped, and osmanthus will be a featured specimen.  Lucky for me, it doesn’t need pampering.  Until I can plant some of my own, I will remain content to drink in the delicious aroma of this gigantic tea olive hedge thriving just up the road.  This time of year, I roll down the car windows every time I drive by this sweet-smelling stunner which must be over 10 feet tall and 40 feet long .

     Sure wish there were a fragrance app to share the ambrosial scent.