Included with "plants that say south," is the tea olive plant, which is often grown for its fragrant flowers and shining, evergreen foliage. Tea olive has deliciously fragrant flowers that smell a lot like those of fringe tree, which is in the same family. Tea olive is a traditional element in the southern garden landscape and a whiff of its scent carried on a cool winter breeze makes a memorable impression. Tea olive is rather slow growing and is usually quite long lived.