Apricot Echo Re-blooming Orange Osmanthus. This is a selection that I have always lusted to find but thinking that I probably never would. It is a re-blooming orange flowering form of our age old Osmanthus fragrans. The Chinese name for this cultivar is 'Yue Yue Hong' (meaning "monthly red") and is a cultivar from Guangxi province. The leaves are not as stiff as the selection of "aurantiacus" that we grow, but one outstanding characteristic of this selecion is the new growth which is a deep burgundy. Even each succeeding flush throughout the growing season shows the burgundy color on the new growth. When it flowers, one does not get the extremely large flower clusters that we get with our regular "aurantiacus" (which rarely repeats bloom each fall), but it more than makes up for this with its repeat flowering throughout the fall and winter, even into early spring. And contrary to the regular orange flowering form which doesn't begin to flower until it gets quite large, this one will begin to flower when only a few inches tall. Because it continues to grow through the winter, if one has a cold night, then this flush will burn, killing the flowers which bloom on terminal clusters. The flowers are awesomely fragrant. Even on a very cool morning, it has great fragrance. One can see the terminal flower clusters in the second photo. One should site this plant in full sun to part shade with protection from northwest winds for best flowering through the winter in zone 9 or warmer. If given good light indoors, this cultivar will make a great pot plant to flower through the winter to emit its incredible fragrance throughout the home, but indoors, the intensity of the orange color won't be as sharp.
Zone 7b-9
Check out our Osmanthus Care Guide.
