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Olive tree

Olive tree

Olea europaea

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For your Olive tree

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Olive Tree Fertiliser Olive Tree FertiliserFrom €9,95View product → Olive Tree Compost Olive Tree Compost€7,95View product → Olive Repotting Set Olive Repotting Set€15,95View product →

Profile

Plant group
Evergreen Mediterranean woody plant
Growth & habit
A slow-growing tree or multi-stemmed shrub, often developing a gnarled trunk and an open, irregular crown.
Foliage
Narrow, leathery leaves with dark upper surfaces and pale silvery undersides; leaves persist for several years and are replaced gradually.
Family
Olive family (Oleaceae)
Origin
Mediterranean basin
Height
2–8 m (more compact in pots)
Bloom
May–June, creamy white
Toxicity
Non-toxic

Care calendar

Leaf emergence

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

New growth appears in spring and early summer, later in cool conditions.

Flowering / flower development

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Small creamy flowers; young plants or unsuitable winter conditions may mean no flowering.

Leaf fall

Evergreen: individual old leaves fall through the year. Sudden heavy loss is not a normal autumn phase.

Pruning & growth habit

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Shape and maintain in spring during frost-free weather; start later in colder locations.

Guidance for Germany and Central Europe. Position, weather, species and cultivar shift these windows; indoor and container plants also depend on their winter conditions.

Your seasonal care plan

  • Watering

    Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec

    Check root-ball moisture throughout the year. When the surface compost has dried and the root ball needs water, water thoroughly and let excess water drain. Check more often in warm summer weather and water less in cool winter quarters. Avoid both a completely dry root ball and persistently wet compost.

  • Feeding

    Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep

    Feed during active growth. April to September is the regular application period of the linked olive fertiliser; follow its own dilution and interval. Allow for feed already in fresh compost and previous applications. Pause during dormancy.

    View product dosage and application →

  • Repotting

    Mar · Apr · May

    In spring, check whether roots have filled the container or the compost has lost its structure. Repot when needed, using a suitable container with drainage and a free-draining growing medium. In colder areas, choose a sheltered, frost-free spell.

  • Winter care

    Jan · Feb · Mar · Oct · Nov · Dec

    Prepare bright, cool and preferably frost-free winter quarters in autumn. Protect the container from severe frost; local weather determines when to move it inside or outside. Continue checking light, root-ball moisture and pests through winter.

Highlighted months are guidance, not fixed dates. Observe the plant, root ball and weather; water, feed and repot according to actual need.

Seasonal care intensity

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Seasonal guidance for Germany. Needs depend on location, weather and species. Check moisture in winter too; these markers are not a feeding schedule.

Peak care Active Reduced care

Care tips

  • Choose a sunny, sheltered position and free-draining growing medium.
  • Water dry containers thoroughly, allow excess water to drain and do not let the rootball dry out completely.
  • Protect container plants from severe frost; use bright, frost-free winter quarters when needed. Continue checking moisture in winter.

Fruit & harvest

Fruit and seed formation

Olives are stone fruits that change from green to darker ripening colours. Cultivar, flowering and pollination determine cropping; some ornamental selections produce little or no fruit.

Harvest and use

Pick green or fully coloured according to the intended processing method. Fresh olives are very bitter and need appropriate curing; full ripening is not assured every year in central-European containers.

Plant knowledge at a glance

Position, benefits & character

Position & soil

Choose warmth, full sun and shelter. Free drainage is essential; protect container roots from severe frost and prolonged wet conditions.

Distinctive features

Once established it tolerates drought, but a confined container still needs regular moisture checks.

Benefits

Silvery foliage and a distinctive trunk provide year-round structure. Suitable cultivars and weather may produce fruit, which is bitter when freshly picked.

Partners & symbioses

Pollination is mainly by wind. A compatible second cultivar can improve fruit set; any second olive is not necessarily a suitable partner.

Pruning & growth habit

A slow-growing tree or multi-stemmed shrub, often developing a gnarled trunk and an open, irregular crown.

  1. 1. Inspect the crown

    Confirm which branches have died over winter. Identify young shoots that can form an open crown.

  2. 2. Thin selectively

    Remove dead, diseased and badly crossing branches. Shorten living main branches to a suitable replacement side shoot.

  3. 3. Consider fruiting wood

    Clipping the whole crown into a ball removes flowering wood. Prune less for fruit than for a purely ornamental topiary.

Shorten to a side shoot

Shorten to a side shoot Left: A long main shoot has a suitable side shoot. Remove the dashed section above their junction. Right: The side shoot remains as the new leading shoot. Before After
Dashed: removeSolid: retain
Simplified example of a healthy, overlong shoot. Cut just above a suitable side shoot without damaging its base. This is not a plan for the whole crown; retain flowering wood if fruit is the aim.

Nursery forms

This overview explains nursery supply forms. It does not indicate current availability in the GREEN24 shop.

Bare-root

Not typical for this profile

Not a routine choice for starting a patio plant; rooted container stock is preferable.

Root-balled

Ask a specialist nursery

Used for large older specimens; rootball condition and establishment matter more than trunk thickness.

Container-grown

Common form

The usual choice for patios, winter quarters and young trees.

Young plant

Common form

Small stock for long-term training; fruiting should not be assumed.

Shrub

Common form

A multi-stemmed plant branching close to the base.

Feathered tree

Ask a specialist nursery

A trunk with low side branches; inspect the actual form.

Half-standard

Common form

A short clear stem supporting a crown.

Standard

Ask a specialist nursery

A taller clear stem; allow room for the crown and ensure stability.

Topiary

Common form

Ball, umbrella or informal trained form requiring maintenance pruning.

Propagation & grafting

Propagation

Semi-ripe summer cuttings preserve the cultivar. Seedlings vary and may take years to fruit.

Grafting

Both own-root and grafted plants occur. Grafting can change the cultivar; a standard shape alone does not prove grafting.

Species & cultivars

Arbequina

A small-fruited oil cultivar; fruiting depends on conditions and pollination.

Leccino

An Italian oil cultivar; select a suitable polliniser if fruit is the aim.

Swan Hill

Selected as a largely fruitless ornamental form.

Pests & diseases

These signs support an initial assessment. Different causes may look alike; choose a treatment only after identifying the problem.

Scale and honeydew

Check leaves, twigs and winter quarters for attached scales and sticky deposits.

Spotted leaves

Dark circular marks with pale halos can suggest a leaf-spot disease. Confirm the cause, collect fallen leaves and avoid prolonged leaf wetness.

Winter leaf loss

Check rootball moisture and light first: both drought and persistently wet roots can cause leaf loss.

Hardiness · USDA

Check cultivar, age and winter wetness.

Olea europaea
USDA 8a–10b

USDA zones describe long-term average winter extremes. Containers, young plants, wet soil, wind and late frost need separate consideration.

Understand USDA zones and maps →

A closer look

Olive flowers
Flower

Olive flowers

Small creamy-white flowers and buds on an olive branch with narrow leaves.

Olive leaf
Leaf

Olive leaf

A narrow, entire-margined Olea europaea leaf with a visible midrib.

H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image source
Olives on a branch
Fruit

Olives on a branch

Green olives and olives ripening to purple on a leafy branch.

Olive bark
Bark

Olive bark

Close-up of the textured bark of Olea europaea.

H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image source
Olive tree in a container
Growth habit

Olive tree in a container

Olive tree in a terracotta container on a pale stone terrace.

Botanical features vary with age, species and cultivar.

Matching GREEN24 products

Matching fertilisers and substrates for your plant care.