The continuing lack of rain and a house remodeling project have brought both challenges and opportunities to the garden.  Regular watering continues to be necessary in the vegetable garden.   Lettuce and kale have been regularly harvested and there have also occasional pickings of broccoli and a few carrots.  Cauliflower heads are forming but remain small.   Swiss chard, parsley, chervil and dill, grown from seed, are waiting for their designated beds to be free of construction activity.

One plant that is pleasing in the garden right now is Osmanthus fragrans, commonly called Sweet Olive or Tea Olive.  When writing about gardens one often wishes that some techno wizard could develop a means of transporting aromas via the internet.  This is particularly true when describing Osmanthus fragrans. This ordinary plant with extraordinary fragrance is a nice addition to any garden either in the ground in zones 8 and above or as a container plant where winter temperatures go below 20 degrees F.  At Horsetail Haven it begins blooming in January and continues to produce flowers off and on through the spring.

The sweet olive has been cultivated in China for centuries but also has a long history in the western world.  According to Bill Welch in The Southern Heirloom Garden, it was first brought to England in 1771.  From there it was brought to America and spread throughout the South.  It was a popular planting in antebellum New Orleans.  It also has a long history in Texas, a nursery catalog from 1860 includes it in its price list.

The sweet olive is an evergreen shrub growing 10-15 feet tall.  This member of the Oleic family has a dense growth habit and has leathery, deep green leaves.  Authorities say the leaves may be either smooth edged or toothed, Ann Marie has observed that her small plant has both - if the ovoid leaves are pointed the edges are toothed and if rounded, the leaf edges are smooth, almost as if they belonged on two different plants.  The white, four petal, flowers are found in inconspicuous clusters on year old growth.  They are amazingly fragrant, at times the whole garden may be filled with their apricot scent.  When in bloom at Festival Hill in Round Top, Texas it becomes a treasure hunt to discover the source of the sweet aroma.  (Hint, check across from the Cloister Garden).

Osmanthus fragrans is a forgiving shrub.  While authorities say it grows best in deep, rich soil that is kept evenly moist, it does tolerate the heavy clay, alkaline soils of central Austin and requires very little watering.  Horticulturist Scott Ogden recommends including lots of organic matter in the soil when planting.  Because it blooms on the previous year's growth it may be pruned to encourage dense growth and to maintain the desired size .  In his book on moonlight gardening, Ogden recommends it for its sweet fragrance and describes the shrub itself as a "dark sentinel" standing  in the light of the moon.  It would also be a nice addition to a mixed shrub border, visually utilitarian but fragrantly magnificent.  Try planting one in your garden!