Olea europaea Stämmchen - Olive Tree

Basically, there is no need to talk much about Olive Trees (Olea europaea) because everybody knows these quaint trees, inseparably associated with Mediterranean landscapes. Olive Trees are therefore a must for any sunny terrace and a wonderful present for all who love travelling to the South! There, the robust and modest evergreen trees grow on poor soil, that they also prefer when cultivated in a container. As a pot plant their water should not be underestimated. Even when Olive Trees seem to grow on dry soil in a hot Mediterranean summer, their roots grow many meters deep into the ground to feed on ground water. Olive Trees in a pot therefore need a continuous water supply so they don’t dry out. Given this care, Olive Trees can in a sunny place become a companion for many decades. With their grey-green leaves, which is uninteresting for insect pests, they create a mediterranean atmosphere on any balcony, terrace or patio. They cannot, however, be planted in the garden, because they are not hardy enough and also have problems with winterly wetness. In areas with mild winters experienced hobby-gardeners may have success with extensive winter protection, but without additional heating the tree will suffer substantially in extreme winters. Even the hardiest varieties in Tuscany get damaged when the temperature drops lower than -10 °C. In winter it is best to keep your Olive Tree in a bright but unheated place in the house but not in a permanently heated living room, where they would only use up their energy reserve. In this country, Olive Trees bloom mostly in the first weeks of early summer with countless small, yellow flowers. If they don’t produce fruits, this is because they need a partner for pollination. Plants grown from seeds are only partly or not at all self-fertile and need a second plant for pollination. If you want fruits with only one plant, they best chances you get with grafted, self- fertile varieties that produce black or green olives depending on the varietiy. Please do not try to eat olives raw because this is no pleasure at all. Olives have to be pickled in brine for months before they develop the typical aroma. Right from the start, Olive Trees grow rather quickly but only develop a dense and well branched crown when they are regularly trimmed. Even very small Olive Trees that have been trimmed radically every year can therefore be very old.

Quality: grey-green classic for Mediterranean terraces; gnarly habit; attractive & edible olives; evergreen; robust & easy to care
Use: in pots from April outside on balcony & terrace; in the garden (during winter in an unheated room); all year in an unheated greenhouse