non flowering osmanthus

berarde

Osmanthus heterophylla planted maybe 20 years or more ago: I've never had a glimmer of a flower and was hoping for a wonderful scent. It grew to 6 feet , leaves quite attractive, quite a nice shape , so it sort of earned its keep. It has had compost/manure each year, always looked healthy, but time to reevaluate it.

I took some cuttings and cut it down to about 1 foot. If I could get flowers I'll keep it. I've got a cutting so might put it in the front garden to replace philadelphus manteau d'hermine which has died off (and another scented plant with no scent, I don't have luck with this!)

Fairygirl

Hi Berarde- if it's only that height after 20 years, it sounds like it hasn't had the ideal spot. What sort of loaction/aspect have you got it in, and what are your soil conditions/weather like? 
Likewise, with the philadelphus, they like a good bit of moisture, so perhaps your soil is a bit on the dry side? 

berarde

Thank you fairy girl. It is in a border shaded by neighbours' shrubs so it only gets afternoon sun and later in the afternoon the sun is filtered by our old (but very shapely) apple tree. I am in Leeds and the soil I think is good, neither sandy nor clay and it gets a mulch of compost each year. I think maybe then it could be insufficient sun?

Fairygirl

I wonder if the other nearby shrubs are preventing your shrub getting adequate moisture and nutrients - possibly your tree as well if it's close enough? 
The part sun/part shade is fine. I have a different type of Osmanthus which is happy with almost no sun apart from later afternoon, but it flowers well every spring and is a lovely shrub. It's in soil which never really dries out.
Do you feed it in spring to give it a boost too?

berarde

Thank you. When I had more time for gardening about four years ago I mulched it with rotted horse manure in Autumn or Spring and last year I gave it a couple of goes with blood fish bone, but nothing doing. Geardening is funny: eg I had non flowering hemerocallis and moved it a short distance away and it  flowered pretty well the next year. It can't be entirely happy where it is.

Loxley

 Fairygirl said:

The part sun/part shade is fine. I have a different type of Osmanthus which is happy with almost no sun apart from later afternoon, but it flowers well every spring and is a lovely shrub. 

Fairy; which Osmanthus do you have? I read conflicting advice about how much sun burkwoodii and delavayi need. 

Fairygirl

Hi @WillDB. I have burkwoodii. They're supposed to not like cold winds, but mine has been fine. The garden is a bit exposed, especially in winter, but is gradually getting better with all the planting.
Mine is in a raised bed [open to the ground]  facing north west, and only gets sun from later afternoon until it sets. It survives all the weather we get here without any problem. I don't really do anything to it - bit of B,F&B in spring if I remember. I just cut bits off that are getting out of bounds. 
It's even more shaded now from any over head sun by the roof of the bird 'cage' which sits above it 
I don't have lots of pix, as I  only take them when it's birds in the feeding cage - but this is what it's like every spring [late March ] when it flowers. Probably earlier further south


I took this the other day - you can see it all under the cage. It's about four feet high, but would grow much bigger

Loxley

It's a beautiful understated shrub. It seems pretty happy there, it doesn't look drawn at all. 

Lyn

@berarde. To keep hemerocallis flowering they need to be dug up, split and replanted every three years or so, you did right to move them a bit and were rewarded with flowers.

Fairygirl

Apologies @WillDB, I missed your reply. It doesn't get drawn at all. It's always bonny, and the flowers are very pretty.
Understated, and requires little attention, so it suits my garden well. It flowers along with spring bulbs etc, so it works nicely.
If I had room I'd definitely have another one. I've got a Viburnum in a site where it would have been perfect, but I'm loathe to lose the Vib. now that it's been in a couple of years   

Silver surfer

Just a thought...you have obviously given this shrub the best of care.
Some plants if very happy are just too lazy to bother flowering.

Plants that are stressed/dying often flower /fruit really well..next year they may be dead.