Popular TreesSelect the right ornamental or fruit-bearing tree for your garden
Photo by : Janet Loughrey .
date stamp back to ancient Greece , olive tree are one of the oldest cultivated trees in the world , prized not only for their flavorful fruit but also for their many decorative dimension . With their silvery foliage , gnarled trunks , and clusters of fragrant white flowers in fountain , these distinctive trees are beautiful garden focal points in all seasons .
Although they grow better in a cheery Mediterranean climate , like that found along the California seashore , it ’s possible to develop Olea europaea trees almost anywhere if you protect them during harsh winters . you may even produce olive trees in containers and bring them indoors before freezing temperature arrive . Dwarf varieties that turn no magniloquent than 6 understructure are ideal for that purpose .
And if the yield is n’t important to you , there are many futile Olea europaea tree to select from that offer all the beauty of an olive tree without the messiness .
On this page : Basics|Planting|Care & Pruning|Growing Indoors|Varieties
OLIVE TREE BASICS
Botanical name:
Olea europaea
Common names:
European Olea europaea Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , common olive Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Plant type:
Evergreen fruit - bearing or fruitless tree
Zones:
Typically 8 - 11 , although some cultivar are sturdy down to zona 7 . matured tree that have had a chance to acclimate often have dandy dusty margin .
Climate requirements:
Olive Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree grow considerably in regions with red-hot , dry summers and mild but cool winters . for bear fruit , they take a two - month dormancy period of cool atmospheric condition when temperature are ideally between 40 ° F to 50 ° F. However , cold wintertime temperatures ( below 20 ° F ) can damage or even kill a tree that is leave unprotected .
Exposure:
Full sun
Size:
15 to 30 foot tall ; 6 to 8 foundation for dwarf varieties
Growth rate:
Slow , about 1 to 2 foot per year
Flowers:
belittled creamy lily-white and yellow flowers peak in spring .
Foliage:
Feather - shaped , with a gray - greenish upper airfoil and clean silvery whitened underside .
Fruit:
Most fruit ( or drupes ) start out green and release a blackish - purple color when fully ripe , but they deviate widely in size of it , shape , oil content , and flavor . Fruitless European olive tree tree diagram cultivars produce heyday but little to no fruit .
Lifespan:
bang-up than 150 years , although trees living longer than 1,000 yr are not uncommon .
PLANTING OLIVE TREES
Photo by : Luis Vega / Shutterstock .
When to plant:
The best time to implant is in spring , after the danger of frost is retiring . Newly planted trees are susceptible to ice legal injury during the first wintertime , so fall planting should only be done in areas where winter temperatures do not fall below 30 ° F. stave off planting during the warmth of the summer .
Where to plant:
plant life in full sun ( 8 or more time of day day by day ) and forth from paved surface area to avoid smear from fall fruit ( unless growing a sleeveless variety ) . Do not plant in downcast areas where stomach piss accumulates . Olive trees wo n’t survive when develop in waterlogged dirt .
How to plant:
Dig a hole that is about the same diam as the root ball and more or less shallower , so the top of the root musket ball is just above ground level . Avoid adding compost or organic matter to the planting hole . To accomplish rich radical growth , a young Olea europaea Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ask to adapt to its native soil .
Pollination:
Most Olea europaea trees are ego - fertile , producing both manly and female flowers on the same tree diagram . However , you ’ll often increase fruit yields by planting a tree of another variety nearby and let them to cross pollinate .
OLIVE TREE CARE & PRUNING
landscape painting couturier : Burl Mostul , Villa Catalina . Photo by : Janet Loughrey .
Watering:
Olive tree are highly drought tolerant once established , but for proficient flowering and yield growing , you should irrigate them on a regular basis throughout the growing season , especially if you hold up in a hot , ironical climate .
Soil:
Any well - drained land is satisfactory . Do not plant in heavy the Great Compromiser soils .
Amendments & Fertilizer:
Olive tree are not heavy feeders , and overly fertile soils can really be a hurt to yield output . However , tree grow in poor , mineral - deficient soils may benefit from unconstipated feedings with a well - balanced fertiliser with a atomic number 7 content of at least 10 percent . To conserve soil moisture and inhibit weed emergence , hold a layer of organic mulch around the tree , placing it a few inches away from the nucleotide .
Pruning:
Olea europaea trees reply well to pruning , but the extent of pruning and the methods you use often depend on whether your primary goal is to boost fruit yield or improve aesthetics . TheMediterranean Garden Societyexplains how to trim young trees to the desired figure , rejuvenate quondam trees , and selectively clip mature trees for better yield ontogenesis and easier harvesting . To keep your tree goodly , also dispatch dead or diseased branches and prune away any gull that evolve at the groundwork of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree .
Keep in idea that European olive tree trees produce yield on the previous class ’s branches , so if fruit is desired , only prune lightly to open up the canopy and increase light penetration .
Harvesting olives:
you’re able to glean olives while they are still greenish or after they full mature in tardy fall , depending on how you project to use them . Most new peck olives ( even those that are fully ripe ) are very caustic and will need to be cure before eating , either by brine or by Sunday drying .
Like Malus pumila Tree , Olea europaea trees are alternate bearing , so do n’t be surprised if your tree give rise a bumper harvest of olives one yr and a piteous craw the next . youthful olive trees may not set about birth optimum fruiting until 4 - 5 years , and will increase from there .
Diseases and pests:
ascertain out for verticillium wilt disease , olive fruit flies , olive knot , and smutty scale . The olive fruit fly is the most serious pest of fruit - stomach tree and can completely damage an European olive tree craw by laying its egg just under the pelt of the fruit . ( See more information on olive yield flies fromUniversity of California Agriculture . )
GROWING OLIVE TREES INDOORS
Potted Olea europaea trees can be moved indoors in cold climates . Photo by : Mira Drozdowski .
If you live in a stale mood where an olive tree wo n’t survive out of doors during the winter , growing your Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree in a container that you’re able to move indoors is a groovy choice ( although your tree is unbelievable to bear yield ) . Here are tips for acquire an olive tree successfully indoors :
VARIETIES OF OLIVE TREES
MISSION OLIVE
( Olea europaea‘Mission’)Zones:8 - 11Height / Spread:25 to 30 foot magniloquent and wideNamed for the San Diego mission where it was first introduced , this popular shade tree diagram and specimen industrial plant , featuring a wide canopy of silvery foliage and a sculptural multi - trunk chassis . The yield can be harvested when green or black and is pop for use in stale - press Olea europaea oil .
MANZANILLO OLIVE
( O. europaea‘Manzanillo’)Zones:8 - 10Height / Spread:25 to 30 feet tall and wideLike the Mission European olive tree , this tall shade tree diagram is common in California landscapes with its distinctive misrepresented trunk . The large , fleshy olives are the most coarse green board olives in the U.S. For smaller garden , try ‘ Haas Improved Manzanillo ’ , with curve branch on a more thick form ( up to 15 feet ) .
MAJESTIC BEAUTY® FRUITLESS OLIVE
( O. europaea‘Monher’)Zones:8 - 11Height / Spread:25 to 30 feet marvelous , up to 25 foot wideA great patio plant or garden tree diagram that does not produce messy yield . Can also be planted near walkways , driveways , entryways and other gamey - traffic area without business for unctuous stains . Small , minute , gray - greenish leaves give it an airy appearing .
SWAN HILL FRUITLESS OLIVE
( O. europaea‘Swan Hill’)Zones:8 - 11Height / Spread:25 to 30 foot tall and wideAnother sleeveless diversity that flowers in outpouring , like a fruiting Olea europaea , but releases almost no pollen . Since the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree does n’t put free energy into make yield , it produces a dense canopy of leaf and maturate faster than most fruiting olive trees .
Little Ollie ® dwarf olive . photograph by : Linda Hagen .
LITTLE OLLIE® DWARF OLIVE
( O. europaea‘Montra’)Zones:8 - 11Height / Spread:6 to 8 feet improbable and widePrized for its dense leaf and mound shrub - like condition , this gnome non - fruiting loan-blend can be clipped and shear to make conventional hedges or topiary or trained as a single - automobile trunk specimen for planting in container or along paseo . Exceptionally heat , drouth , and salt tolerant .
ARBEQUINA OLIVE
( O. europaea‘Arbequina’)Zones:7 - 11Height / Spread:15 to 20 understructure improbable , 8 to 12 foot wideA beautiful Spanish variety from Catalonia , with a crying form and compact habit . The yield are little but fleshy and have a mild , fruity flavor and high vegetable oil subject matter . One of the most cold - tolerant varieties .
ARBOSANA OLIVE
( O. europaea‘Arbosana’)Zones:8 - 10Height / Spread:12 to 15 base tall , 12 to 20 feet wideBecause of its low size of it and high takings , this semi - dwarf cultivar from Spain is a dearie among growers who require to reap with child European olive tree crops in special garden space . One of the early to bear fruit , often a year or two after planting .
FRANTOIO OLIVE
( O. europaea‘Frantoio’)Zones:8 - 11Height / Spread : Up to 20 understructure tall and wideThis refined tree from Tuscany has been around for C and produce one of the most extremely acclaimed Olea europaea oils in the world , characterized by its wonderfully fruity flavour and aroma . It ’s also a beautiful landscape industrial plant , featuring a broad , airy canopy of striking silvery - gray foliage .
