Care tips for Osmanthus

Ah, spring. The days lengthen and the weather starts warming up.

Keep an eye out for new growth on your Osmanthus - it's a sign of better things to come.

And flowers; at this time of the year a few warm days in a row and suddenly your Osmanthus will come into bloom. Beautiful.

Your Osmanthus should be romping away in the summer heat.

So, sit back and relax and enjoy your outdoor space. Watering is the only thing you really need to worry about, particularly for plants in pots.

You'll soon know if your Osmanthus is thirsty as it will start to wilt, so get your watering can out.

As the weather starts cooling down in autumn, your Osmanthus will start slowing down too.

This is an evergreen plant, so as the name suggests, it won't lose its leaves over winter.

Winter won't really bother your Osmanthus.

It won't be growing much, but will still give some structure to your outdoor space.

Plants might get a bit battered by wind and frost, but don't worry, this is normal and when the weather starts warming up, normal business will resume.

Osmanthus planted out in a border doesn't need any special attention when it comes to watering once it is established.

But if you've got a new one, make sure you keep it well-watered during the first spring and summer.

It's plants in pots that need a bit more TLC. Keep a careful eye on watering, especially over spring and summer. If it's really hot you'll need to water once a day.

You don't really need to feed your Osmanthus, but it won't hurt to sprinkle a general purpose food, like Growmore, around the base in spring, but it's not essential.

Plants in pots need feeding with a slow release feed, twice a year: once in spring and once in mid summer.

Osmanthusneeds little pruning, but if you want to reduce the size, or take out a few shoots growing at funny angles, the best time to do this is after flowering is finished.

Don't get too carried away though, as you'll ruin the natural shape.

Osmanthus is a hardy plant, so won't require winter protection once established.

Just take care with young plants, as they can be more susceptible to winter cold. It won't hurt to cover with a large plastic sheet or horticultural fleece if there is a heavy frost forecast.

Shrubs in pots should be OK, but if you live in a particularly cold area, or your garden is exposed, move pots to the corner of a porch, under the eaves of the house or even hard up against a protected wall of the house.

If you can't move your pot, wrap a few layers of hessian or wool matting around the pot to provide some insulation.