A tough evergreen shrub with extremely fragrant small white pendent flowers that scent the air for yards around with a wonderful gardenia-like perfume during October and November. Later the brown fruit ripens to red and the evergreen foliage is great in flower arrangements, lustrous green above, dull and silvery dotted with brown below. It is a aggressive grower, impervious to pests, pollution, and salt spray, and thriving in sun or shade, and in all types of soil. I've tried growing 'Glen St. Mary' a supposedly more compact form that is meant to have a pleasing rounded habit unlike the ungainly wild forms. Don't believe it - the best way to grow this shrub is to train against a trellis, prune hard and enjoy the wonderful autumn fragrance.
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