Ollie

Olive tree

Olea Europea; Common olive; Cultivated olive; European olive; Lady's oil

• 
  Easy care
• 
  Bright light

• Ollie likes...
  • 
    Bright light

    He’ll do best somewhere bright. He’ll manage in partial shade but won’t like anywhere really dark.

  • 
    Light watering

    He likes his soil on the dry side. You can let his soil dry out completely between drinks. Ensure his soil is well-draining by adding sand or gravel to it.

  • 
    Feeding

    Help him grow big and strong by giving him a feed with liquid fertiliser once per month in spring and summer.

• Quick facts

  Botanical name

  Olea Europea

  Nickname

  Common olive; Cultivated olive; European olive; Lady's oil

  Plant type

  Outdoor tree

  Plant height (including pot)

  30-40cm; 80-90cm; 100-110cm

  Pet/Baby safe?

  Yes

  Nursery pot size

  14cm; 19cm; 21cm; 27cm

• About olive trees

  You might not be able to live in the Mediterranean but you can certainly bring a slice of it to the UK with lovely Ollie.

  A slow-growing, rugged plant, you may know Ollie as Mediterranean in origin but he's very content on these shores too, as long as he gets enough sunlight in his life. Look out for white flowers in summer but you'll be very lucky to get fruit, which is the result of a drier, hotter climate than ours. Expect him to grow by 5-10 cm per year.

  If you choose to plant your olive tree out into a decorative pot, or when it comes time to repot it - every 2 to 3 years - be sure to use a loam based compost like John Innes No.3, which will have the perfect balance of drainage and moisture retentive goodies like sand and clay.

  Did you know?

  He's known as 'the tree of eternity' due to his capacity to regenerate after a fire.