Holly osmanthus 'Goshiki'
Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Goshiki' · Oleaceae
A dense evergreen with spiny, holly-like leaves speckled in five colours: new growth is pink and bronze, and it matures to dark green flecked with cream and gold.
- Size
- 5 ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 7 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around holly osmanthus 'Goshiki'
The planner designed this bed around holly osmanthus 'Goshiki' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 7, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 722 that suit those conditions, and says below why holly osmanthus 'Goshiki' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Holly osmanthus 'Goshiki' × 1, variegated leaves
- 2 Bloody cranesbill × 8, pink
- 3 Leadwort × 22, blue
- 4 Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' × 4, pink
- 5 Astilbe 'Purple Candles' × 3, purple
- 6 Gray's sedge × 5, green
- 7 Lowbush blueberry × 3, white
- 8 Easter lily × 5, white
- 9 Grecian windflower × 5, blue
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do Gray's sedge and lowbush blueberry.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 5 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 13 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 9 of the 10 groups (90%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The flowering is at its height from mid July, with 4 kinds out together. Leadwort is the plant there is most of: 22 of the 56.
The planner's own design check: 15 Excellent, 2 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where holly osmanthus 'Goshiki' goes in a border
At 5 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is tall (4 to 5 ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
The speckling reads as a soft, creamy gold from a distance, and brightens a dark corner all year. It grows slowly and rarely needs pruning.
- Variegated evergreen colour
- A slow, compact specimen
- Barrier planting
What to plant with holly osmanthus 'Goshiki'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Autumn fern: low enough (22 in) to stand in front of it.
- Black mondo grass: spires rising out of its mound; low enough (8 in) to stand in front of it.
- Lilyturf: adds the flowers, early August to mid September; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about holly osmanthus 'Goshiki'
Does holly osmanthus 'Goshiki' need sun or shade?
Holly osmanthus 'Goshiki' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does holly osmanthus 'Goshiki' grow in?
USDA zones 7 to 9. It is hardy to zone 7, which means it survives winter nights down to about 10 °F (−12 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should holly osmanthus 'Goshiki' be planted?
4 ft (120 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 5 ft (150 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many holly osmanthus 'Goshiki' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is holly osmanthus 'Goshiki' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like holly osmanthus 'Goshiki'?
Holly osmanthus 'Goshiki' comes from South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh': the same job in a bed; belongs in the middle, not at the back, 24 in shorter.
- Dwarf yaupon holly: an anchor, not a specimen, 12 in shorter.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat holly osmanthus 'Goshiki'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does holly osmanthus 'Goshiki' look like in winter?
Holly osmanthus 'Goshiki' keeps its variegated leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Osmanthus
- Burkwood osmanthus Osmanthus x burkwoodii
- Sweet olive Osmanthus fragrans
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 5 ft (150 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 ft (120 cm) apart
- Height class
- Tall (4 to 5 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; variegated
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 7 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Oleaceae
- Comes from
- South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought, heat, pollution
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.