Olives remain extremely popular and versatile trees, and quite rightly so, the beautiful silvery grey leaves look stunning against open blue summer skies and instantly remind us of the Mediterranean. The ancient gnarled trunks are stately and majestic, there is no other tree quite like them.
Beautiful and Resplendent Tree
The olive, Olea europaea, is considered by many to be the symbol of peace. It signifies wisdom, glory, fertility, power and purity. This beautiful and resplendent tree has been in cultivation for thousands of years. The olive that we treasure so much today has its origins in ancient Persia and Mesopotamia, approximately 6,000 to 7,000 years ago. Widely cultivated for centuries the edible olive has been traced to the eastern Mediterranean coast. Today olive trees are grown in abundance and it is estimated that nowadays there are over 8.5 million of these amazing trees on our planet – incredibly some specimens have been recorded to be up to 2,000 years old.
Eating Olives from the Tree
My love of olive trees was established during my formative years as a gardener. I spent many summers working on the island of Evvia, Greece and passed many glorious hour exploring the Mediterranean landscape, scrambling through old olive groves admiring their beauty. On one occasion a friend, if you can call him that, encouraged me to try tasting a beautiful looking olive fresh from the tree – glossy and shiny, purple and black, glimmering in the sweltering midsummer sun, so very tempting. I pulled the delicious looking fruit from the branch and bit into it confidently. To my surprise and to my friend’s glee the intrinsic bitterness and shock made me spit it out immediately. How could such a stunning looking olive taste so foul? This was the most disgusting thing that I have ever tasted – every ounce of moisture was removed from my mouth.
As I very quickly learnt, olives are far too sour to be eaten straight from the tree, they must be cured to lessen the unpleasant bitter taste. The most common method for processing the olive is by curing them in water, brine or lye. Each treatment process determines the colour and the composition to produce the edible fruits that we enjoy so much. There are many cultivars of olive tree grown for the fruit and for the olive oil but also for the leaf and the wood, which is highly prized.
Can We Grow Olives in the UK?
Can we grow olive trees here in the UK and will we get any fruit? This is one of the most common questions I hear from our customers at Clifton Nurseries. Olive trees, although not entirely hardy, will flourish in protected city gardens or mild areas of the UK, providing you give them a sunny position and plant them in well-drained soil. Planting them against a south or west-facing wall is ideal, away from cold and drying winds. In colder parts of the country, pot grown plants will require winter protection by placing them in a glasshouse or a conservatory. If this is not possible or they are grown in the ground, wrap the trunk and the crown of the tree with several layers of horticultural fleece. Winter temperatures below -10 °C are not recommended. A slow growing tree by nature, olives need very little pruning, although if required give them a light trim in late spring or early autumn. The fruit or drupes as they are technically called are produced at the tips of the previous years growth, so keep this in mind as over zealous trimming will prevent the production of the fruit. Ideally plant in pairs to increase cross-pollination and to increase the amount of yield.
Drought Tolerant Olives still need Some Water
It is a common misconception that olives require little amounts of water. Although drought tolerant they require a regular watering regime especially if grown in pots or containers which should not be allowed to dry out. It is recommended that feeding be carried out on a monthly basis throughout the growing season to encourage fruit production. I like to use seaweed extract and a feed that is high in potash to keep my olives looking strong, vigorous and healthy. When potting use a loam based John Innes No.3 compost combined with a good amount of horticultural grit to keep the mix open and free draining.
Stylish and Sophisticated
Olive trees have many planting applications in the garden and look spectacular when used in contemporary or Mediterranean style gardens. We have a superb specimen planted here at the nursery as part of the Show Garden. Combined with grasses and lavenders and adjacent to our wildflower border it looks simply amazing – it has the presence and elegance of a distinguished old friend. Olives look stylish and sophisticated when planted in pots and work particularly well when used in a modern kitchen garden or as a feature plant in a high-class restaurant courtyard garden.
Quality and Excellence
Here at Clifton Nurseries we have an amazing selection of individually selected Olive Trees to choose from. Trees range in size from a small 10 Litre pot to a 1000 Litre giant. Our buyers have a lifetime's experience in the horticultural industry and have been sourcing and buying plants throughout Europe for well over a decade. All of the olives that are for sale in the nursery have been hand picked by them. Their knowledge and expertise in this product is second to none and this reflects in the quality and excellence of the plants they select.
Onsite our olives range from small to enormous; contact us now. I think you will find our enthusiasm infectious!