The Year of the Olive!
Create your very own olive garden this year with East of Eden Plants

Olea Europa ~ fully frost hardy to -12°C when mature

The Year of the Olive!

Know your olive trees
See the full Plant Care Guide for your olive trees

Available now

ORDERLINE 01752 822782 or 0781 279 7127

On-line sales for plants

General Growing Instructions

Olives are evergreen trees and olive gardens make a superb all-year-round garden statement of peace and prosperity.

Olive trees grow well in sub-tropical and temperate areas with an optimum temperature range of 5-25°C. They need long, hot summers for the fruits to ripen fully, followed by winter temperatures that are low enough to meet the chilling requirement of the specific cultivar. Although mature trees are remarkably frost tolerant, down to -12°C, young olive plants are not fully hardy. So to be completely safe container grown plants can be placed outdoors in the summer and brought into a cold greenhouse or conservatory for winter protection. You can buy mature olive trees from us to make a great olive garden.

Olive plants as gifts

The Olive tree symbolises the essence of the Mediterranean landscape. It is an elegant, evergreen tree which makes an excellent specimen plant for a sunny courtyard in a terracotta pot or planted in a Mediterranean style olive garden.

Pots and compost
Olive trees grow and fruit well in terracotta pots. An olive garden can be terrace-based as well as grown on a large or small plot! For pots, they are best grown in well drained pots with loam-based compost, such as John Innes No 3 adding grit for good drainage, and crock at the base of the pot. Raise pots on feet for free drainage in wet seasons. It is recommended to start off with smaller pots, gradually repotting until you reach the largest size. If your plants get too large to move there are some great pot movers now on the market. We use lightweight large pots.

Site and Planting
Olive trees are happy in a wide range of soils, although low to medium fertility is preferable. Olive gardens with soils that are very fertile are likely to result in excessive vegetative growth. We find that the establishing of newly planted olives is enhanced by the use of a Mediterranean mycorrhizal mix, such as ‘the Friendly Fungi' produced by Rootgrow.

The site must be well drained. Olive trees grow well on alkaline soils, including those with a high level of salts, provided that the pH level does not exceed 8.5. Windbreaks should be used in exposed areas.

The usual planting distance varies from 7m to 12m each way, depending on the habit of the cultivar; all olive trees should be staked to avoid wind damage. Closely planted trees may be thinned by re-moving alternate trees when the canopies begin to overlap.

Routine care
Top-dress with slow release fertiliser, or any general fertiliser with medium to high levels of nitrogen, at a yearly rate of about 0.5-kg per tree, applied in two or three doses when the trees are in active growth. Applications of potassium and, possibly, boron supplements may be necessary on some soils. Apply a liquid feed every three to four weeks. Re-apply a soil conditioner every 12 months to produce optimum growth and fruiting.

The olive branch - universal symbol of peace and fertility

Invest in medium size olive trees and watch you olive garden (slowly) grow ~ or buy large specimen olive trees for maximum instant Mediterranean impact. No other transformation with plants works quite like it.

Watering
Water olive trees regularly during dry periods, particularly for the first two to three years after planting. Mulching with organic material is also beneficial. Keep the planting area free of weeds, for a truly magnificent olive garden.

Pruning and Training
Prune newly planted olive trees by re-moving the leading shoot when it is about 1.5m tall; select 3 to 5 strong laterals to provide the basic branch structure. Subsequent pruning consists of removing older branches to encourage the growth of new shoots, since fruits are produced on one-year-old wood mostly at the edges of the tree canopy.

Flowering and Fruiting
olive trees produce a very insignificant cream flower. To flower and fruit successfully olives need at least two months of temperatures below 10°C in winter. However for best results avoid prolonged cold weather below 7.5°C or winter temperatures above 15.5°C as both can prevent successful fruit production.
Most cultivars are self-fertile, but pollinators may be necessary to increase fruit yield in cooler climates. olive trees are pollinated by insects and also by wind; high humidity levels inhibit pollination.

Understated grandeur
Without doubt, the olive tree garden is the perfect way to harmonise a Mediterranean welcome to your home.

Order your olive trees and garden creations by phone or email - delivered to your door

Latest additions to the
Olive Trees Range
(click the images to enlarge)

Specimens below are over 100 years old, and cost around £1950 Ring for details

Homepage  About Us  Gardens  Garden Accessories  Design   Plants

Business Interiors  Home Interiors  Landscape Projects  Care Guides  Delivery