https://www.piccadillyfarm.com/apps/webstore/  nice nursery in Bishop Ga

I’m going to try a cutting. I recall that this variety of tea olive doesn’t bloom until it is around 6-7 feet tall which may be a while from a cutting I’d think.

That nursery in Bishop is a great option. They have a nice conifer selection as well.

A cutting, unlike a seedling, has the maturity of the plant it came from. I don't see why it would need to grow 6 feet to flower. Take lots of cuttings to increase your chances. And go have a look at the vase of your shrub. I'd be surprised if there was nothing there that you could dig up.

but.. a small cutting ... would take a few years.. to grow the root mass .. to be able to flower with any significance .... imo ... as much as you might say the cutting is mature based on the mother plant ... you do need a mature root mass to support sexual maturation ... what flowering might be considered .....

i too would be crawling around under there.. looking for anything that might have a root attached ... and if i found one.. i would put it in a pot.. in full bright shade for the rest of the year ... and grow some roots .. and then plant it in fall ...

have someone take pix of you excavating under there ... lol

ken

A cutting would have the same sexual maturity as the parent plant. If a cutting is taken from a flowering shoot it can flower immediately. Haven't you ever seen a foot long forsythia cutting in full bloom, Ken?

several sources listed here: orange tea olive article

i want to say i have seen it at some of the box store garden centers in my area on occasion but can't be sure about that. in my experience, osmanthus are not that difficult to propagate by cuttings.

I saw several at Randy's Nursery in Lawrenceville a couple of weeks ago.