Sometimes invited guests overstay their welcome and take up too much space. This was the case with autumn olive, which was brought into the United States in 1830 and widely planted as an ornamental. It is still here today and considered an invasive weed. A variety of woody shrubs either look like the autumn olive or share its growth patterns.

Meet the Autumn Olive

Before we start a discussion of autumn olive lookalikes, let’s address more basic questions. What does autumn olive look like? Where does it grow in this country today? Read on to learn how to identify autumn olive.

The autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) is a woody shrub that usually doesn’t exceed 20 feet (6 m.) tall. It is deciduous, dropping its leaves in winter. Those leaves are attractive, green above but, on the underside, covered densely with silver red scales. They are oval or long and thin, generally having smooth margins and always alternate rather than growing directly across from each other.

The autumn olive is currently found in the eastern part of the country, from Maine to Virginia and west to Wisconsin. It grows in disturbed areas as well as grasslands, fields, and open woodlands. Since it tolerates drought and fixes nitrogen in its roots, it can grow almost anywhere in this range.

How to Identify the Autumn Olive

The autumn olive shrub flowers in early summer, producing fragrant flowers. Each one has four cream-colored petals, fused at the base.

The fruits are drupes that appear in late summer through early fall. Each fruit is small but there are many of them and much appreciated by wildlife. The flower buds and fruit are also sprinkled with silvery scales. These scales are essential parts of autumn olive identification.

Another important identifying element of the shrub can only be seen if you pull it out of the ground. This is the fact that it enables nitrogen fixation.

Russian Olive vs. Autumn Olive

The Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) and the autumn olive have so much in common that it may not be worth it to distinguish the two. They are closely related members of the Elagagnus genus and resemble each other closely.

Like the autumn olive, the Russian olive was brought in as an ornamental and to feed wildlife, but quickly started invading open fields nearby planting areas. However, it tends to grow in the western half of the country.

Other Autumn Olive Lookalikes

In addition to its twin Elaeagnus Russian olive, there are several other shrubs that look like autumn olive enough that one might call them autumn olive lookalikes. These include silver buffalo berry (Shepherdia argentea),another import that isn’t native to this country and its relative that is native to North America, russet buffalo-berry (Shepherdia canadensis). Both have small scales on the undersides of their leaves. These shrubs are less tree-like than the taller autumn olive shrubs.

For a good alternative to autumn olive with similar growth patterns, try ​American hazelnut (Corylus americana), tolerant of any sun exposure and also most types of soil. It doesn’t produce drupes, but instead those yummy hazelnuts, equally beloved by wildlife of all kinds. This shrub forms clonal patches as well that hold soils in place in potential erosion areas. It provides cover for wildlife too.

Invasive plants, whether native or introduced, can quickly spread throughout lawns and other growing spaces to completely overtake the area. This often results in the loss of other plant species, due to their inability to compete for light and/or nutrients. One plant, Elaeagnus umbellata, or Autumn Olive, is specifically known for its invasive growth habit. Learning to properly identify autumn olive berries can help landscapers begin to control the plant early, should it appear in their own green space. 

What Is Elaeagnus umbellata Autumn Olive?

Commonly known as autumn olive, Elaeagnus umbellata is a tall deciduous shrub that is hardy to USDA growing zones 4-9. In late spring, these bushes produce masses of fragrant white-yellow blooms. Originally introduced to the United States as an ornamental plant and for use in erosion control, singular autumn olive plants are able to produce over 200,000 viable seeds each growing season. Through dispersal of this seed, as well as the production of root suckers and quick establishment, autumn olive plants grow to quickly overtake established flower beds and other native plant life. 

How to Get Rid of Autumn Olive

The first step in getting rid of autumn olive is being able to correctly identify the plant. Autumn olive leaves, with a silver-like coloration, grow to form very dense shrubs. After they bloom, the plants quickly set hundreds to thousands of berry-like seed pods. In fall, autumn olive berries turn a vibrant red color, which is especially attractive to foraging wildlife. 

Those wishing to get rid of autumn olive will need to focus their attention on killing the root system of the plant in order to fully remove it. Though these plants can be cut above the ground, they are likely to regrow quickly. Still, the young plants can be pulled out by hand quite effectively. More established Elaeagnus umbellata may need additional attention to be fully removed. 

Some farmers have had success controlling autumn olive plants through the use of foraging livestock animals. Those who choose this method first need to make certain that the plant is safe for the specific animal’s consumption. Then they need to consistently monitor the plants’ progress within the pasture. 

One last option involves the use of systemic herbicides. Most experts suggest that these applications be made late in the growing season, and may require several treatments. As always, the use of any chemical should be done carefully and in full accordance with the manufacturer’s label instructions for safe use. 

Note: Any recommendations pertaining to the use of chemicals are for informational purposes only. Chemical control should only be used as a last resort, as organic approaches are safer and more environmentally friendly.

Olive oil has practically replaced other oils in many people’s cooking due to its health benefits. Really it could only be healthier if you’re extracting olive oil yourself. Making homemade olive oil also means that you can control what type of olive is used, which means you can tailor the taste to suit your palate. Interested in making oil from olives? Read on to learn how to press olive oil. 

About Making Olive Oil at Home

Commercially produced olive oil requires large, customized equipment but with a few investments, making olive oil at home is possible. There are a couple of ways of going about making oil from olives at home, but the basics of extracting olive oil remain the same. 

First you need to obtain fresh olives whether this is from your own olive trees or from purchased olives. Just be sure not to use canned olives. When making oil from olives, the fruit can be ripe or unripe, green, or black, although this will change the flavor profile. 

Once you have obtained the olives, the fruit needs to be washed thoroughly and any leaves, twigs, or other detritus removed. Then if you do not have an olive press (a somewhat costly piece of equipment but worth it if you are going to make extracting olive oil a constant), you must pit the olives using a cherry/olive pitter, a time consuming task. 

Now it’s time for the fun/work of extracting the olive oil. 

How to Press Olive Oil

If you do have an olive press, all you need to do is place the washed olives in the press and voila, the press does the work for you. No need to pit the olives first. If you don’t have a press a millstone will also work beautifully. 

If pitting the olives seems to be too much work, you can use mallets to pound the olives into a rough paste. Protect your work surface with plastic wrap before commencing to smashing. 

If you do not have a press, place the pitted olives in a good quality blender. Add a bit of hot but not boiling water as you blend to help form a soft paste. Vigorously stir the olive paste with a spoon for a few minutes to help draw the oil from the pomace or pulp. 

Cover the olive mix and allow it to sit for ten minutes. As it rests, the oil will continue to bead out of the olive paste. 

Extracting Olive Oil

Put a colander, sieve, or chinois over a bowl and line it with cheesecloth. Pour the contents of the blender into the cheesecloth. Gather the ends together and squeeze the liquids from the solids, the oil from the olives. Lay the bundled cheese cloth in the bottom of the colander and weigh it down with something heavy or lay a bowl inside the colander atop the cheesecloth and fill it with dried beans or rice. 

The additional weight atop the cheesecloth will help to extract more oil. Every five to ten minutes push down on the weight to release more oil from the olive paste. Continue with the extraction for 30 minutes. 

When complete, discard the olive oil mash. You should have oil in the first bowl. Allow to sit for a few minutes so that the heavier water sinks, and the olive oil floats to the top. Use a turkey baster or syringe to draw up the oil. 

Place the oil in a dark colored glass container and store in a cool dry area for two to four months. Use as soon as possible however, as homemade olive oil does not store as long as commercially produced.

A Christmas tree made of cheese and a variety of colorful olives is definitely something you’ll want to try this holiday season. This unique olive tree appetizer is packed with flavor and so easy to make. Continue reading for tips on making an olive Christmas tree.

Olive Tree Appetizer

• Begin with a Styrofoam cone measuring about 6 to 8 inches (15-20.5 cm.) in height. Wrap the cone securely with plastic wrap.
• Spread a generous spoonful of room-temperature cream cheese over the flat bottom of the cone, then place the cone on a serving tray or plate. Press the cone down lightly to secure it to the plate.
• Spread cream cheese on the remainder of the cone, then chill it for about an hour (if you like, you can mix a small amount of chives, chopped parsley, onion powder, or garlic salt into the cream cheese).
• While the Christmas tree is chilling, use a star-shaped canape cutter to cut cheddar or Colby cheese into small stars. For extra color, cut a few extra stars from red, green, and yellow bell peppers.
• Break several toothpicks in half and use them to attach olives to the Christmas tree shape, starting at the bottom of the tree. Use a variety of interesting olives such as black, green, or kalamata olives. You can also use olives stuffed with pimentos, jalapenos, almonds, or onions. Using larger olives at the bottom will add stability to the olive tree appetizer. Leave several spaces between olives for cheese and pepper stars.
• Attach a few sprigs or leaves of fresh rosemary between the olives, then top the cheese-olive tree with a cheese star. Cover the olive Christmas tree loosely with plastic and refrigerate for up to eight hours.

Serve the Christmas olive tree appetizer with sliced salami and your favorite crackers. Sliced pears and apples also pair beautifully with a cheese-olive tree.

Cured olives are a delicious snack or addition to recipes. If you are lucky enough to have an olive tree, you can make your own brined fruits. Preserving olives is an essential process due to the fruit's bitterness. There are many methods for curing olives, it just depends on what you prefer. You can learn how to preserve olives and eat your fruit year-round here.

Notes on Preserving Olives

Olive preservation is a centuries old tradition and the key to getting palatable fruit. The oleuropein makes them astringent and needs to be soaked out of the olives prior to eating them. This process can take days and requires a little patience.

The most common way to preserve this fruit is to brine olives, but it is not the only way. Brined olives are saltier than those cured with lye. You can also use a water or dry-salt method of curing olives.

If you want to brine olives, you add seasonings to the final brine before storage. Water cured olive preservation leaves a slightly bitter olive, but some people like them that way and the fruit is ready in a few weeks as opposed to other methods that take two to three months. Dry-salted olives are ready in five to six weeks but don't store as long as brined.

How to Preserve Olives

The most common method, brining, is time consuming but worth the effort. In order to brine olives, select good fruit and wash it. Mix a 1:10 solution of salt to water. Cut a slit in each olive. This will allow the oleuropein to leach out. Place olives in a bucket and layer with brine.

Cover the bucket with a lid and place it in a cool, low lit location. Stir the olives regularly and taste one after a couple of months. If still bitter, continue to store them.

When they are to your taste, drain them and lay them out on a towel to dry. Then soak them in vinegar for half a day to stop the fermentation. The olives are now ready to pickle.

Other Methods of Olive Preservation

You can make specialty olives, like cracked olives, which you smash with a flat knife prior to soaking in water. The water is changed frequently until the fruit reaches the desired flavor. Then cover them in brine with whatever seasonings are preferred.

Water-soaked olives can take as little as 7 days but up to 20 before they are ready to be brined.

Dry cured olives are best made with oil rich, large fruit. This is an easy process, requiring only pickling salt and a large slatted container. The salt will leach out the bitterness. It is a 1:2 ratio of salt to olives. Keep the container where the fluids can drain and temperatures are warm. These olives should be refrigerated for up to six months or frozen.

What is a fruitless olive tree, you may ask? Many are not familiar with this beautiful tree, commonly used for its beauty in the landscape. The olive tree with no olives (Olea europaea 'Wilsonii') is hardy in USDA zones 8 to 11. Read more to learn if this is the perfect tree for your southern landscape.

About Fruitless Olive Trees

This olive tree is described as a distinctive evergreen, growing at a slow to medium rate. At maturity, it may reach 25 to 30 feet (8-9 m.), with approximately the same width. Consider this width if contemplating one in your landscape. It may have a single trunk, but more often it has several. These are twisting and contorted, topped by greenish gray foliage. This tree must have at least eight hours of full sun.

While described as an olive tree with no olives, some owners of the tree say this is an overstatement. Trees may bloom in spring with sterile, yellow flowers that produce a spray of olives. These underdeveloped fruits fall from the tree and are few and far between. This is why growing fruitless olive tree varieties is a good alternative to growing the real thing.

Fruiting olive trees are banned in some areas of the southwest U.S. because of extensive dropping of fruits. This creates a problematic mess, clogging drains and staining driveways and decks. The fruits also attract undesirable wildlife. Flowers often produce pollen to which many are allergic. Growing fruitless olive trees eliminates these issues.

Growing Fruitless Olive Trees

When choosing a location to plant a new fruitless olive tree, measure how long sun reaches the area. As mentioned, at least eight hours is necessary. If looking at this aspect in spring, take into account the shade that might occur when neighboring trees leaf out. Ideally, you can check out the sun in the spot at different times of the year. Make sure, as well, that there is a 30 foot (9 m.) space around all sides of the area, allowing room for the fruitless olive to spread its branches.

The planting site must have well-draining soil. Once established, most fruitless olive tree varieties are drought tolerant, but they need regular water until a good root system has developed. If water does not drain quickly, root rot is a potential problem. Add drip irrigation if convenient, as the root system will need almost daily watering for some time.

Other fruitless olive tree care includes a feeding of high nitrogen fertilizer in spring while the tree is young. Pruning to remove suckers may be included in annual maintenance. While you have the pruners handy, remove any twigs or branches with holes, as they may have been attacked by borers. Most pests and disease don’t bother the fruitless olive tree, however.

Is your olive tree looking scorched and not thriving as it should? Perhaps, Xylella disease is to blame. What is Xylella? Xylella (Xylella fastidiosa) is a bacterial pest that causes a number of harmful plant diseases. So far, it is known to affect hundreds of different plants and trees in temperate climates around the world.

Xylella Fastidiosa and Olives

Olive tree Xylella disease has wreaked havoc on the olive industry. The growing problem of Xylella and a resulting disease known as Olive Quick Decline (OQD) has been catastrophic in Italy and other countries in southern Europe, where it has wiped out many ancient olive groves. The Xylella bacterium is native to the United States, where it has created problems in the southeastern states and California, particularly in riparian areas. Xyella, which is spread by sap-sucking insects, affects the olive tree’s ability to absorb water and nutrients. The glassy-winged sharpshooter, a large insect native to the southeastern United States, has been identified as a major carrier, as well as cicadas and a type of spittlebug known as meadow froghopper.

Symptoms of Olive Tree with Xylella

Olive Tree Quick Decline begins with rapid dieback of branches and twigs, also known as “flagging.” Symptoms of an olive tree with Xylella typically begin in the upper branches and spread throughout the crown within a month or two. As a result, the tree takes on a scorched appearance. Additionally, an olive tree with Xylella usually displays desiccated fruit and an over-abundance of suckers.

Controlling Olive Tree Xylella Disease

Olive tree Xylella disease is feared by olive growers around the world. So far, there is no cure for Olive Quick Decline, although controlling sap-sucking insects and rapid removal of infected plants may help slow the spread. Control of weeds and careful mowing of grasses can limit plants that host sap-sucking insects. It’s also important to encourage natural predators such as parasitic wasps and dragonflies.

Olive oil had been made much of and with good reason. This nutrient rich oil has been used for thousands of years and features prominently in much of the cuisine we eat. Of course, we know how to use olive oil with foods, but have you ever wondered about olive oil’s other uses? There are, indeed, other uses for olive oil. The following article contains information about what exactly olive oil is and how to use olive oil beyond cooking.

What is Olive Oil?

Olive oil is a liquid fat pressed from the fruit of olive trees, which are native to the Mediterranean. After the olives are picked and washed, they are crushed. Long ago, the olives were painstakingly crushed between two stones, but today, they are crushed automatically between steel blades. Once crushed, the resulting paste is macerated or stirred to release the precious oil. They are then spun in a centrifuge to separate the oil and water.

Olive Oil Information

Olive trees have been cultivated throughout the Mediterranean since the 8th millennium B.C. Although many of us think of olive oil as an Italian product, in actuality, most of the olives are produced in Spain, followed by Italy and Greece. “Italian” olive oil is often produced elsewhere and then processed and packaged in Italy, which has no bearing on the quality of the oil. Olive oil has its own particular flavor depending upon the cultivar of olive used and where it is growing. Many olive oils, like wine, are blends of multiple types of olive oil. Like wine, some people love to sample various types of olive oil. The flavor of the end product is not only representative of the olive cultivar but of the altitude, time of harvest, and type of extraction process. Olive oil consists mostly of oleic acid (up to 83%) along with lesser amounts of other fatty acids like linoleic and palmitic acid. Extra virgin olive oil has its own stringent set of rules and must have no more than .8% free acidity. This specification makes for oil with the most favorable flavor profile and is often represented in the higher cost. Olive oil is one of the three central foods to the people of the Mediterranean, the others are wheat and grapes.

How to Use Olive Oil

Olive oil is most often used for cooking and blending into salad dressings, but these aren’t the only uses for olive oil. Olive oil plays a significant part in religious rituals. Catholic priests use olive oil prior to baptism and to bless the sick, as do the Christ of Latter Day Saints. Early Orthodox Christians used olive oil to light their churches and cemeteries. In Judaism, olive oil was the only oil permitted for use in the seven branched Menorah, and it was the sacramental oil used to anoint the kings of the Kingdom of Israel. Other olive oil uses involve beauty routines. It has been used as a moisturizer for dry skin or hair. It is sometimes used in cosmetics, conditioners, soaps, and shampoos. It has been used as a cleanser and antibacterial agent as well and, even today, may be found in pharmaceuticals. The ancient Greeks used olive oil to massage aching sports injuries. Modern Japanese believe that both ingesting and topical application of olive oil are good for the skin and overall health.

Olive trees are native to the Mediterranean region of Europe. They have been grown for centuries for their olives and the oil they produce. You can also grow them in containers and olive tree topiaries are popular. If you are considering making an olive tree topiary, read on. You’ll find information about pruning an olive tree topiary, including tips on how to make an olive topiary look more natural.

About Olive Tree Topiaries

Olive tree topiaries are essentially shaped trees created by pruning. When you are making an olive tree topiary, you prune and shape the tree in a way that pleases you. How to make olive topiaries? Select one of the smaller species of olive trees. A few to consider include Picholine, Manzanillo, Frantoio and Arbequina. Be sure the cultivar you select tolerates severe pruning and doesn’t mind being kept smaller than the usual mature size. You’ll need to start making an olive tree topiary when your tree is quite young. Ideally, start shaping an olive tree when it is two years old or younger. Older trees don’t tolerate severe pruning as easily. Plant the tree in an unglazed pot or wooden barrel in well-draining soil. Don’t start pruning an olive topiary until the tree has been settled in the pot or barrel for about a year. You can also perform topiary pruning on young, outdoor trees.

Pruning an Olive Topiary

When you are shaping an olive tree, timing is important. Prune the olive tree in late winter or early spring. Although the trees are evergreen, they are growing more slowly at that time. Pruning an olive topiary starts with removing suckers that grow in at the base of the olive stem. Also, trim out those that sprout from the trunk. You’ll have to figure out the shape of your topiary’s crown before you wield the pruners. Trim the olive tree canopy into whatever shape you have selected. Olive tree topiaries can have crowns that grow naturally or else cut into balls. Shaping an olive tree crown into a ball means that you lose all flowers and fruit. This type of topiary will require regular maintenance to prevent ragged edges.

Olive trees as houseplants? If you’ve ever seen mature olives, you may wonder how it’s possible to transform these reasonably tall trees into olive houseplants. It is not only possible but, indoor olive trees are the latest houseplant craze. Read on for more information about growing potted olive trees indoors including tips on caring for olive trees inside.

Indoor Olive Trees

Olive trees have been cultivated for thousands of years for their fruit and the oil made from it. If you love olives or simply love the look of the green-gray foliage, you may dream of growing olive trees too. Olive trees come from the Mediterranean region though, where the weather is toasty. While they can be cultivated in USDA zones 8 and warmer, they are not happy if the temperature drops below 20 degrees F. (-7 C.). If your climate puts you out of the running for olives outdoors, consider growing indoor olive trees. If you keep a potted olive tree indoors for the winter, you can move the plant outdoors as summer arrives.

Growing Olive Houseplants

Can you really use olive trees as houseplants? You can, and many people are doing just that. Growing a potted olive tree indoors has become popular. One reason people are taking to olive trees as houseplants is that caring for olive trees inside is easy. These trees tolerate dry air and dry soil too, making it an easy-care houseplant. The trees are attractive too. The branches are covered with narrow, gray-green leaves that have furry undersides. Summer brings clusters of small, creamy flowers, followed by ripening olives. If you are thinking of growing olive houseplants, you may wonder how the tree, maturing to some 20 feet (6 m.), will fit in your kitchen or living room. However, when the trees are grown in a container, you can keep them smaller. Prune back olive trees in spring when new growth begins. Clipping the longer branches encourages new growth. In any event, it’s a good idea to use dwarf olive trees as potted plants. They only grow to 6 feet (2 m.) tall, and you can also trim these to keep them compact.

Extending an olive branch is easier when you have the tree in your own backyard, but if that's not possible, a container will do just fine. Arbequina olive trees are heavy producers when mature and easy to grow, either in the ground or in a large patio container.

These statuesque beauties thrive in Mediterranean climates where sun is plentiful and adapt to periods of drought once established. With proper olive tree care, you can count on a bumper crop of antioxidant-rich olives.

What Makes the Arbequina Olive Tree Special?

Arbequina olives are self-fruiting trees prized for their dark brown, tart fruits. This is a fast-bearing olive tree that can produce within one year if propagated by cuttings.

The plant gets 12 to 20 feet (3.5 to 6 m) tall with a spread of up to 15 feet (4.5 m). Over time, the plant will develop a charming gnarled appearance with an aged character, while still providing heavy harvests annually. The tree is semi-deciduous, but will keep its narrow blue-gray leaves in warmer climates.

In springtime, the plant produces dainty white flowers that develop into the fruit. The thumb-sized fruits are green initially, but gradually ripen to purple, and finally a deep glossy black. The effect is quite enchanting during its late summer fruiting.

The Arbequina olive tree comes from Arbeca, Spain. It has been in cultivation since the 17th century, showing how beloved this variety of olive has been historically.

How to Grow Arbequina Olives

Olive trees need little care once established. Heat and sun are necessary for the tree to flower and fruit. Choose a location with at least 6 hours of full sun and plant in well-draining, loamy to gritty soil.

The Arbequina variety is hardy in USDA zones 8 to 11, but can be grown in zone 7 with some protection. Arbequina is one of the more cold-tolerant olives, withstanding short freezing temperatures as low as 22°F (-5°C.).

Growing Arbequina Olives in Containers

Even northern gardeners can grow this tree if it is planted in a container and brought indoors for winter. When overwintered indoors, the plant will typically keep its narrow blue-gray leaves. Trees thrive in containers for years and will even fruit in such a confined space with careful pruning.

For a potted tree, choose a location with at least 6 hours of full sun. Use a well-draining, loamy to gritty potting soil. Container-grown plants thrive in clay and unglazed pots, which can evaporate excess moisture.

Arbequina Olive Tree Care

Although young plants need to be watered deeply for the first few years to help establish a vigorous root system, it is best to keep an olive tree a bit on the dry side once established. Soggy roots can damage tree health.

Prune trees near the end of winter, but before flowering. Pruning olive trees is only necessary to open the canopy, remove dead or diseased wood, and enhance light penetration. You can also prune to contain the size of the plant, but be careful to preserve fruiting shoots.

Harvesting and Preparing Your Olives

Harvest time for ripe fruits is in autumn, usually around October to November. Harvest only deeply colored fruits, as olives will not ripen off the tree.

In order to enjoy your olives, you must brine them. Place them in a salt and water solution for a month, replacing the brine weekly. Add lemon, bay leaves, or other flavorings, and preserve them in a half-strength brine solution until the flavor is at its peak. Then bring out the charcuterie board and enjoy!

Olive trees thrive in USDA zones 8 to 10. This makes growing olive trees in zone 9 an almost perfect match. Conditions in zone 9 mimic those of the Mediterranean where olives have been cultivated for thousands of years. Whether you want to grow an olive for the fruit, to press for oil, or simply as an ornamental, there are plenty of options for zone 9 olive trees. Interested in olives for zone 9? Read on to find out about growing and caring for olives in zone 9.

About Olives for Zone 9

Olive trees like it hot-- hot and dry in the summer and mild in the winter. Of course, if you live in a cooler climate, you can always container grow an olive and bring it inside in the winter, but be sure to choose a dwarf, self-fertile variety. If you don’t, space may become an issue since some olive trees can grow 20 to 25 feet (6-8 m.) in height and many olives need a partner to pollinate so you may need more than one tree. You’ll know growing an olive tree is for you if you live in a dry, balmy region with plenty of sun, low wind, and humidity with winter temperature never below 15 degrees F. (-9 C.). Olives have very shallow root systems, so planting them in a gusty area is a recipe for disaster. If you have some wind, be sure to double stake the tree to give it extra support.

Zone 9 Olive Trees

If space is an issue and you want fruit, choose a self-fertile variety. A well-known self-fertile variety is 'Frantoio.' Consider whether you want to grow the tree as an ornamental (there are some varieties that don’t fruit) or for the fruit or oil produced from it. A great table variety is 'Manzanillo,' but it does need another tree nearby to set fruit. Other options include 'Mission,' 'Sevillano,' and 'Ascolano,' each with their good points and bad. There are so many types of olive it may take a little research on your part to determine which one will be best in your landscape and area. Your local extension office and/or nursery are great sources of information.

Caring for Olives in Zone 9

Olive trees need at least seven hours of full sun per day, preferably on the east or south side of a house. They need well-draining soil, but it doesn’t have to be highly fertile, as long as it isn’t overly sandy or clay laden. Soak the root ball for 30 minutes until it is damp prior to planting. Dig a hole that is at least 3 feet wide by 2 feet deep (91 x 61 cm.), loosening the soil around the edges of the hole to allow the roots to spread out. Plant the tree in the hole at the same level it was in the container and tamp the soil down around the roots. Sprinkle compost over the planted area. Don’t amend the planting hole with any additional compost. Mulch around the olive to retard weeds and then water it heavily. Thereafter, water each day there is no rain for a month while the tree establishes. There is no need to stake the tree unless you live in a windy area. After the first month, only water the olive tree once a month. If you water it more often, the tree will produce shallow, weak roots.

Olive trees are long-lived trees native to the warm Mediterranean region. Can olives grow in zone 8? It is entirely possible to start growing olives in some parts of zone 8 if you select healthy, hardy olive trees. Read on for information about zone 8 olive trees and tips for growing olives in zone 8.

Can Olives Grow in Zone 8?

If you love olive trees and live in a zone 8 region, you may be asking: can olives grow in zone 8? The U.S. Department of Agriculture designates areas as zone 8a if the average coldest winter temperature is 10 degrees F. (-12 C.) and zone 8b if the lowest temperature is 20 degrees F. (-7 C.). While not every olive tree variety will survive in these regions, you can succeed at growing olives in zone 8 if you select hardy olive trees. You’ll also need to be attentive to chill hours and zone 8 olive care.

Hardy Olive Trees

You can find hardy olive trees in commerce that will thrive in USDA zone 8. Zone 8 olive trees generally require that winter temperatures stay above 10 degrees F. (-12 C.). They also require some 300 to 1,000 hours of chill to bear fruit, depending on the cultivar. Some of the cultivars for zone 8 olive trees are quite a bit smaller than the massive trees you may have seen. For example, both ‘Arbequina' and 'Arbosana' are small cultivars, topping out at some 5 feet (1.5 m.) tall. Both thrive in USDA zone 8b but may not make it in zone 8a if temperatures dip below 10 degrees F. (-12 C.). ‘Koroneiki’ is another potential tree for the list of zone 8 olive trees. It is a popular Italian olive variety known for its high oil content. It also stays below 5 feet (1.5 m.) tall. Both ‘Koroneiki’ and ‘Arbequina' fruit fairly quickly, after about three years.

Zone 8 Olive Care

Zone 8 olive tree care is not too difficult. Olive trees don’t need a lot of special care in general. You’ll want to be sure to select a site with full sun. It’s also important to plant zone 8 olive trees in well-draining soil. One thing you’ll need to keep in mind is pollination. Some trees, like ‘Arbequina,’ are self-pollinating, but other hardy olive trees require a pollinator. The kicker here is that not just any tree will do, so make sure the trees are compatible. Consulting with your local extension office will help with this.

When you think about an olive tree, you probably imagine it growing somewhere hot and dry, like southern Spain or Greece. These beautiful trees that produce such delicious fruits are not just for the hottest climates though. There are varieties of cold hardy olive trees, including zone 7 olive trees that thrive in regions you might not have expected to be olive friendly.

Can Olive Trees Grow in Zone 7?

Zone 7 in the U.S. includes inland areas of the Pacific Northwest, colder regions of California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, and covers a large swath from the middle of New Mexico through northern Texas and Arkansas, most of Tennessee and into Virginia, and even parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. And yes, you can grow olive trees in this zone. You just have to know which cold hardy olive trees will thrive here.

Olive Trees for Zone 7

There are several varieties of cold hardy olive trees that best tolerate the lower temperatures in zone 7:

• Arbequina – Arbequina olive trees are popular in the colder areas of Texas. They produce small fruits that make excellent oil and can be brined.
• Mission – This variety was developed in the U.S. and is moderately tolerant of cold. The fruits are great for oil and brining.
• Manzanilla – Manzanilla olive trees produce good table olives and have moderate cold tolerance.
• Picual – This tree is popular in Spain for producing oil and is moderately cold hardy. It produces large fruit that can be pressed to make delicious oil.

Tips for Growing Olives in Zone 7

Even with cold hardy varieties, it’s important to keep your zone 7 olive trees safe from the most extreme temperature dips. You can do this by choosing a good location, such as against a wall facing west or south. If you are expecting an unusual cold snap, cover your tree with a floating row cover. 

If you’re still nervous about putting an olive tree in the ground, you can grow one in a container and move it indoors or onto a covered patio for the winter. Olive trees of all varieties gain more cold hardiness as they age and as the trunk size increases, so you may need to baby your tree for the first three or five years.

The New Mexico olive tree is a large deciduous shrub that grows well in hot, dry areas. It works well in hedges or as an ornamental specimen, offering fragrant yellow flowers and showy, berry-like fruit. If you’d like more New Mexico olive tree facts or want to learn something about desert olive cultivation, read on.

New Mexico Olive Tree Facts

The New Mexico olive (Forestiera neomexicana) is also known as desert olive tree because it thrives in hot, sunny regions. New Mexico olive usually grows many spiny branches. The bark is an interesting shade of white. Tiny but very fragrant yellow flowers appear on the shrub in clusters in spring even before the leaves. They are an important nectar source for bees.

Later in summer, the plant produces attractive blue-black fruit. The fruit are shaped like eggs but only the size of berries. These attract birds that enjoy eating the fruit. Forestiera desert olives grow rapidly to their full height, which can be as tall as 15 feet (5 m.) Their spread is about the same.

New Mexico Olive Tree Care

Growing New Mexico olive trees is not difficult in the right location, and the species has a reputation for being easy maintenance. It thrives in dry, sunny areas without shade, which is why it is so popular in New Mexico. Forestiera desert olives thrive in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9.

The shrubs prefer all-day sun but will grow in a site with ample morning sun and afternoon shade. Another reason New Mexico olive tree care is easy is that the plant is not picky about soil. You can start growing New Mexico olive trees in clay soil, sandy soil, or average soil.

All plants, including Forestiera desert olives, require irrigation when they are first transplanted. This enables them to build up strong root systems. Once established, however, desert olive cultivation doesn’t require much water. Still, the shrubs grow faster if you give them a drink from time to time in dry weather.

If you enjoy pruning and shaping your bushes, you’ll love growing New Mexico olive trees. New Mexico olive tree care can include trimming the shrub to increase the number of branches. This works especially well if you are using the shrub in a hedge. Alternatively, once you start growing New Mexico olive trees, you can remove all branches but one to force the shrub into a tree shape.

Olive trees are great specimen trees to have around. Some varieties are grown specifically to produce olives, while plenty of others are purely ornamental and never bear fruit. Whichever you’re interested in, the trees are very beautiful and will bring an old-world, Mediterranean feel to your garden. If you don’t have enough space for a full tree, or if your climate is too cold, you can still have olive trees, as long as you grow them in containers. Keep reading to learn more about potted olive tree care and how to grow an olive tree in a pot.

Potted Olive Tree Care

Can you grow olive trees in containers? Absolutely. The trees are very adaptable and drought-tolerant, which makes them ideal for container life. The best time to start growing olive trees in containers is in spring after all threat of frost has passed. Olive trees like extremely well-draining, rocky soil. Plant your tree in a mix of potting soil and perlite or small rocks. When selecting a container, opt for clay or wood. Plastic containers retain more water, which can be deadly for an olive tree. Place your container-grown olive trees in a spot that receives at least six hours of full sunlight each day. Make sure not to overwater. Only water when the top several inches (7.5 cm.) of soil has dried out completely--when it comes to olives, it’s better to water too little than too much. Olive trees are not very cold-hardy and will need to be brought indoors in USDA zones 6 and lower (some varieties are even more cold-sensitive, so check to make sure). Bring your container-grown olive trees indoors before temperatures fall toward freezing. Place them inside by a sunny window or under lights. Once temperatures warm back up in the spring, you can take your potted olive tree back outside where it can hang out all summer long.

Want to grow olives, but you reside in USDA zone 6? Can olive trees grow in zone 6? The following article contains information about cold hardy olive trees for zone 6.

Can Olive Trees Grow in Zone 6?

Olives need long warm summers of at least 80 degrees F. (27 C.), along with cool night temperatures of 35 to 50 degrees F. (2-10 C.) in order to set flower buds. This process is referred to as vernalization. While olive trees need to experience vernalization to set fruit, they freeze from extremely cold temperatures. Some resources claim that a few varieties of olive can withstand temps down to 5 degrees F. (-15 C.). The caveat here is that the tree MAY re-emerge from the root crown, or it may not. Even if it does return, it will take several years to become a producing tree again if it isn’t too severely damaged by the cold. Olive trees become cold damaged at 22 degrees F. (-5 C.), although temperatures of even 27 degrees F. (3 C.) can damage branch tips when accompanied by frost. That said, there are thousands of olive cultivars, and some are more cold-resistant than others. While variations in temperature occur within a USDA zone, certainly those in zone 6 are too cold for even the most cold hardy olive tree. Generally, olive trees are only suited to USDA zones 9 to 11, so sadly, there are no zone 6 olive tree cultivars. Now with all that in mind, I have also read claims of trees dying down to the ground with temps below 10 degrees F. (-12 C.) and then re-growing from the crown. The cold hardiness of olive trees is similar to that of citrus and improves over time as the tree ages and increases in size.

Growing Zone 6 Olives

While there are no zone 6 olive cultivars, if you still want to try growing olive trees in zone 6, the most cold hardy include:

• Arbequina
• Ascolana
• Mission
• Sevillano

There are a couple of other cultivars considered cold hardy olives but, unfortunately, they are used commercially and not obtainable to the average home gardener. Probably the best option for growing in this zone is to container grow the olive tree so it can be moved indoors and protected upon the onset of cold temperatures. A greenhouse sounds like an even better idea.

Sweet olive (Osmanthus fragrans) is an evergreen with delightfully fragrant blossoms and dark shiny leaves. Virtually pest free, these dense bushes require little care and are easy to propagate from sweet olive cuttings. For more information about sweet olive tree propagation, read on.

Propagating Sweet Olive Trees

If you want to learn how to root a sweet olive tree, you’ll be glad to know that sweet olive propagation is not difficult. The most effective propagation method for this small tree is rooting sweet olive cuttings. Sweet olive tree propagation works best with semi-hardwood cuttings. This means you need to take cuttings from the tree in late autumn. Before you take the cuttings, prepare the pots to plant them in. Mix sharp sand, perlite, and milled coir in equal parts. Add water slowly, mixing the combination thoroughly until the coir is moistened. Get 6 inch (15 cm.) plant pots with drainage holes on the bottom. You’ll need one for each sweet olive cutting you intend to root. Press the sand mixture into the pot, pushing it in firmly to get rid of any air pockets. Poke a hole in the sand about 4 inches (10 cm.) deep.

Sweet Olive Cuttings

Use sharp pruners to take the sweet olive cuttings. Snip off tip cuttings about 8 inches (20 cm.) long. The best tips for sweet olive propagation will be flexible with green growth at the top end but brown bark at the bottom. Make the cuts at an angle. Then use the pruners to remove all leaves from the bottom half of each cutting. Remove half of each leaf on the top half of the cuttings. You’ll succeed in propagating sweet olive trees by rooting cuttings if you don’t use a rooting hormone compound. The process might be quicker though if you do. If you decide to use a rooting compound, pour some out on a dish and dip the cut end of each sweet olive cutting into it. Then put each cutting, base end first, into one of the pots. It should go into the hole you made in the sand. Press the sand in around the cutting and add a little water to settle the sand near the stem. The ideal temperature for sweet olive propagation is 75 degrees F. (23 C.) during the day and 65 degrees F. (18 C.) at night. Use a propagation mat to control the temperature in an unventilated cold frame. Keep the soil moist and mist the leaves every day. You should have roots in about five weeks. This means your sweet olive tree propagation was successful. Keep the rooted cutting in a protected place until planting time.

Olive tree pests can be a real problem, especially if you’re counting on your tree to produce lots of fruit. The olive bud mite is one of these problems, though it’s not as big a problem as you might think. Keep reading to learn more about mites on olive trees and olive bud mite treatment.

What are Olive Bud Mites?

What are olive bud mites? They’re little creatures that measure about 0.1-0.2 millimeters long – too small to see with the naked eye. Under a microscope, you can see that they’re yellow, teardrop shaped, and four legged. They live and feed exclusively on olive trees. Since you can’t see them, the best way to tell if you have olive bud mites is to look for the damage caused by them. This can appear in the form of prematurely dropped flowers or buds, discolored buds, stunted growth, or spotty leaves that curl under. In very young olive trees, a bad infestation can seriously stunt the plant’s growth.

Olive Bud Mite Treatment

So how do you go about controlling olive tree mites? In most cases, you don’t. Even a large infestation isn’t likely to hurt the tree or affect olive harvest too much. The only reason to take action is if your harvest has been below average for several years running. If this is the case, you can apply powdered or wettable sulfur. (Don’t apply the wettable variety on days hotter than 90 F./32 C.). You can also try non-chemical approaches, such as introducing ladybugs, a natural predator. If you live in Australia, there are some predatory mites that feed on them but, unfortunately, they’re not native anywhere else in the world.

Elaeagnus pungens, more commonly known as thorny olive, is a big, thorny, fast-growing plant that is invasive in some parts of the United States and hard to get rid of in many more. Native to Japan, the thorny olive grows as a shrub and occasionally as a vine that reaches anywhere from 3 to 25 feet (1-8 m.) in height. Thorny olive control can be difficult because of the long, sharp thorns that sprout from its branches, and because of the spread of seeds from its fruit. Keep reading to learn more facts on Elaeagnus pungens and how to control thorny olive plants.

Is Thorny Olive Invasive?

Where is thorny olive invasive? In Tennessee and Virginia it is, but it’s a nuisance in many other states as well. It’s hardy in USDA zones 6 through 10 and is easily spread through the droppings of birds that have eaten its fruit. It’s also very tolerant of drought, shade, salt, and pollution, meaning it will spring up in all kinds of spaces and will often crowd out native plants. Thorny olive does have its place and is very effective as a barrier, but because of its propensity to spread, it is often not worth it.

How to Control Thorny Olive Plants

Managing thorny olive plants works best with a combination of manual removal followed up by chemical application. If your plant is large and established, you might need a chainsaw or at least hedge clippers to cut it back close to the ground. You can dig up the root ball or, for an easier time, spray the exposed ends of the stumps with a strong herbicide solution. When the stumps sprout new growth, spray them again. The best time to do your thorny olive control is before the plant fruits in the autumn to prevent the spread of seeds. Note: Chemical control should only be used as a last resort, as organic approaches are safer and much more environmentally friendly.

Olives have become more heavily cultivated in the United States in recent years due to their increasing popularity, specifically for the health benefits of the fruit’s oil. This increasing demand and resulting swell in production has also brought about an increased incidence of olive knot. What is olive knot and what other olive knot disease info might be helpful in treating olive knot? Read on to learn more.

What is Olive Knot?

Olive knot (Olea europaea) is a disease caused by the pathogen Pseudomonas savastanoi. This pathogen is known as an epiphyte. ‘Epi’ is from the Greek meaning ‘upon,’ while ‘phyte’ means ‘upon the plant.’ Thus, this pathogen thrives on the rough bark of the twigs rather than the olive’s leaves. As the name suggests, olive knot presents itself as galls or “knots” at infection sites, usually but not always, at leaf nodes. Pruning or other wounds can also open the plant up for infection by the bacterium and freeze damage increases the disease’s severity. When it rains, the galls ooze infectious bacterial goo that can be transmitted to uninfected plants. Infection develops in the spring and early summer and produces galls ½ to 2 inches (1-5 cm.) within 10 to 14 days. All cultivars of olive are susceptible to olive knot, but only the above portions of the tree are affected. Severity of the infection varies from cultivar to cultivar, but young, one year old plants are much more susceptible than older olives.

Additional Olive Knot Disease Info

While this disease has been witnessed worldwide throughout olive growing regions, the increase in cultivation, especially in northern California, has made it a more common and serious threat. Northern California’s mild climate and prevalent rainfall combined with mechanized cultural practices on large olive plantings have become the perfect storm; thrusting the disease into the forefront as one of the more potentially costly diseases of the olive. The galls girdle and kill off afflicted twigs which, in turn, reduces yield and affects fruit size and quality. For the home olive grower, while the disease isn’t fiscally damaging, the resulting galls are unsightly and detract from the beauty of the landscape. Bacteria survive in the knots and are then spread throughout the year, making control of olive knot disease especially difficult. So how do you go about treating olive knot?

Is There an Olive Knot Treatment?

As mentioned, control of olive knot disease is difficult. If the olive already has olive knot, carefully prune out the afflicted twigs and branches during the dry season with sanitized shears. Disinfect them every so often as you prune to mitigate the possibility of spreading the infection. Combine the above olive knot treatment with an application of copper containing bactericides to leaf scars and other injuries to minimize the possibility of contamination. A minimum of two applications is needed, one in the fall and one in the spring.

Do you have an olive tree on your property? If so, I’m jealous. Enough about my envy though-- do you wonder when to pick olives? Harvesting olives at home is done pretty much like commercial olive harvesting. Keep reading to find out when and how to pick olives from the tree.

Harvesting Olive Trees

Harvesting olive trees begins in late August through November depending upon the region, variety, and desired ripeness. Since olives are picked for both eating and processing into oil, the degree of ripeness matters. All olives start out green and then gradually become rosy and finally black. Depending upon the type of oil the grower is making, a combination of all three may be used for pressing. Traditionally, picking olives is done by hand, even in commercial groves. Today, more growers use modern machinery to help them harvest the crop. At the lowest end of the spectrum, this may only mean using a long handled, vibrating tong to shake the olives from the branches and onto nets spread out under the tree. A little more high tech method involves tractors drawing shakers behind them or other grape harvesting machinery used in high density orchards.

How to Pick Olives from the Tree

Since it’s unlikely that you own such machinery, harvesting olives at home will have to be done the old fashioned way. First, you must determine the flavor you desire. The earlier you harvest, the more bitter the taste. As the olives mature, the flavor mellows. Decide if you are going to press the olives for oil or brine to preserve them. There is a clock going here. You must utilize the olives within three days of harvest. If they sit any longer, the olives will oxidize and “sour.” So, if you have a lot of olives, you may want to enlist some olive picking friends and allot a whole day. Seduce them into helping to process or brine the olives with a promise of some of the spoils of the day! Larger olives have more oil, but the oil content drops as the olives ripen. Green olives have a longer shelf life but tend to be bitter and will take several months to mellow in flavor. If picking olives for oil, pick olives with a light yellow color. First, place tarps under the tree or trees. Using a rake, gently dislodge the olives. Gather the olives from the tarp. If you are picking for oil, harvest all the olives in this manner and gather up any strays on the ground. Olives left on the ground will rot and can foster disease and olive fruit flies. You may also use a ladder and handpick the olives. While this is more time consuming, it avoids bruising of the fruit. If you are picking olives to brine, pick green olives when they are mature but before they begin to change color. All olives on the tree will not be in the same state of maturity, so you can continue to pick for brine curing as they ripen. To pick for Greek style curing, handpick when the olives mature and have turned from dark red to purple. Once cured, the olives will turn black. Depending upon ripeness, it takes about 80 to 100 pounds (36-45 kg.) of olives to make 1 gallon (3.8 L.) of olive oil. That would require more than one tree and a lot of labor, but a labor of love and a lovely bonding experience for friends and family on a beautiful fall day!

The purpose of trimming olive trees is to open more of the tree up to sunshine. The parts of a tree that are in shade will not produce fruit. When you trim olive trees to allow sun to enter into the center, it improves the fruiting. Read on for information about how to prune olive trees and the best time to prune olive trees.

When to Prune Olive Trees

Don’t start trimming olive trees during their first year or their second year. You shouldn’t touch that pruner to your tree branches until the olive tree is at least four years old. During these early years, you should encourage foliage to form and leave it alone. A tree’s leaves produce its food, so having many leaves when the tree is young provides good energy for growth.

How to Prune Olive Trees

When it is time to shape the tree, remember that it is better to make a few, well-placed cuts than to make many small ones. You should use a lopper and a pruning saw to make these cuts. Open-center or vase pruning is very common with olive trees. 

For this type of pruning, you remove the tree’s central branches to allow sunlight to penetrate the tree. Open pruning also increases the surface fruiting area of the tree. After you have removed central branches and established a sound structure for the tree, all subsequent pruning is for maintenance. 

At that point, trimming olive trees involves only removing any growth that starts to fill in the center of the tree. You can also keep down the height of the tree by pruning out the tallest branches. This is often important when you are pruning olive trees in containers. 

Use thinning cuts, not heading cuts, since the latter will stimulate new tall growth. Thinning cuts involve cutting something out, while heading cuts – also called topping cuts – involve cutting something off. Generally, you’ll want to use thinning cuts in olive tree trimming. 

If you have a very tall, very old olive tree, you may have to prune it drastically to make it productive again. Remember that new growth will grow just above where you make the cut, so you’ll have to cut the tree quite severely, making cuts at four or five feet (1 or 2 m.). It is best to space the process over three years. 

On the other hand, if it is used more as an ornamental, you may wish to leave it tall and beautiful instead.

Best Time to Prune Olive Trees

If you are wondering when to prune olive trees, it is between winter’s end and flowering. You can prune olive trees in spring or in early summer once the tree begins to open its flower buds. 

Pruning an olive tree while it is in bloom allows you to assess the probable crop before you trim. Always wait to trim until the rains of winter are done, since pruning opens entry points for water-borne disease to enter the tree. This is of utmost importance if olive knot is a problem in your area. 

An olive tree is more vulnerable to frost damage once it is trimmed, which is another argument for waiting until spring.

Have you ever wondered if you can you grow an olive pit? I mean, you can grow an avocado from a pit so why not an olive? If so, how do you plant olive pits and what other olive seed info might be useful?

About Olive Pit Propagation

Yes, you can grow an olive pit, but there’s one caveat – it has to be a “fresh” pit. By this I mean not a pit from a store bought olive. The olives that we eat are treated with lye, among other things, and are unlikely to engender olive pit propagation. Oh, by the way, did you know that both green and black olives are the same? The only difference is when they are picked. Green olives are picked before ripe, while black olives are allowed to ripen on the tree.

Olive Seed Info

Olive trees (Olea europaea) grow in areas of long, warm summers and mild winters and can be grown in USDA growing zones 8-10. Olive trees are primarily grown from cuttings but growing olive trees from pits or seeds is also possible. 

The pits need to be thoroughly cleaned and processed to break dormancy and facilitate germination. When growing olive trees from pits, keep in mind that the germination rate is frustratingly low, so hedge your bets by planting multiple pits. Wondering how to plant olive pits? Read on.

How to Plant Olive Pits

The first step in growing olive trees from pits is to gather seeds in the fall once the fruit has ripened, but before they turn black. Don’t gather the olives from the ground but rather harvest the fruit directly from the tree. Use only olives that are unmarred by insect holes or other damage. Put the olives in a bucket and lightly hammer the flesh to loosen it. 

Cover the crushed olives with water and soak overnight, stirring the water on occasion. Skim out any floaters, which are likely rotten. Drain the water. Using two scouring pads or the like, rub the olives to remove any residual flesh and then rinse them thoroughly. 

Carefully, nick the pointed end of the olive pits with a pair of bolt cutters. Don’t break all the way through the hull or the seed will be ruined. Soak them for 24 hours in room temperature water. Now it’s time to sow the olive pits. Use a well-draining soil mix of half sand and half seed compost in individual 6-inch (15 cm.) containers. 

Sow the olive seed to a depth equal to two times their diameter. Put the pots into a shaded cold frame with a germination mat set at 60 degrees F. (16 C.) for about a month. Keep the top 2 inches (5 cm.) of each pot moist while the seed germinates but allow the top ¼ to dry out between waterings to deter fungal and bacterial disease.

Increase the germination mat’s temp to 70 degrees F. (21 C.) after the first month of warm stratification and continue to water as before. Seedlings should emerge in this second month. When they do, begin to drop the temperature of the mat by 5 degrees (15 C.) each week until the temp is equal to the exterior temperature.

Acclimate the seedling to outdoor conditions gradually over the course of a couple of weeks. Keep them in a lightly shaded area during the hot summer months and then transplant them in mid-autumn when the weather is again cool and moist.

Russian olives, also called Oleaster, look great year-round, but are appreciated most in summer when the blossoms fill the air with a sweet, intense fragrance. Bright red fruit follows the flowers, attracting birds in droves. Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) is a tough shrub that tolerates adverse conditions such as sandy, dry, alkaline or salty soil and salt spray. It grows naturally as a 12 to 15 foot (4-5 m.) shrub, but you can also grow it as a tree. If you want to grow the tree form of Elaeagnus, pruning should begin while the shrub is still young. Remove all but one strong stem arising from the ground and the lower side branches.

Russian Olive Information

The common name Russian olive comes from E. angustifolia's resemblance to true olives, which are unrelated species. Use this shrub as an informal hedge or in shrub borders. It is especially useful in tough sites where little else will grow. Russian olive is a Chinese native that is considered a non-native invasive species in all but the southeastern corner of the U.S. In the southeast, it struggles in the summer heat and humidity and often succumbs to verticillium wilt. Contact your cooperative extension agent for information about the invasive potential and advisability of planting Russian olive in your area. The plant is banned in some states. The closely related species E. pungens, commonly known as silverthorn, is a good alternative.

How to Grow an Elaeagnus Shrub

Russian olives grow well in any soil as long as it is well-drained, but seems to like light, sandy soil best. Choose a site with full sun to help the plant resist disease. Russian olive is particularly fond of western conditions. It withstands winter conditions in USDA plant hardiness zones 2 through 7. The shrub is rarely bothered by pests other than scale insects. Spray with horticultural oil to control scales. When using horticultural oil, pay particular attention to the label instructions about timing. Spraying at the wrong time can damage the plant.

Elaeagnus Shrub Care

Except for the seemingly endless pruning tasks, you won't find an easier shrub to grow than Elaeagnus Russian olive. These shrubs can fix nitrogen from the air, so they need no nitrogen fertilizer. Russian olive shrubs are very drought tolerant, and you'll probably never have to irrigate. Russian olives need regular pruning to keep them looking neat. They tolerate shearing and hard pruning, but look their best when pruned to a natural shape. Remove selective branches instead of shortening the branches to shape the shrub. The shrubs may send up sprouts that arise from the ground several times a year. Remove them as soon as possible to keep them from draining the plant's energy. Spring branch clippings make good material for indoor forcing.

Osmanthus fragrans is a shrub or small tree recognized more by its fragrance than its appearance. Common names include tea olive, although it isn't a member of the olive family, and false holly for its spiny, holly-like leaves. Read on to learn about growing Osmanthus plants.

Tea Olive Cultivation

Osmanthus bush uses revolve around the shrub's scent. Plant it near windows, outdoor seating, and patios where you can enjoy the fragrance the most. Growing Osmanthus plants as a hedge creates a wall of fragrance. Passers-by will wonder at the source of the delightful fragrance, never suspecting the tiny little flowers on the Osmanthus shrub. Fragrant tea olives begin blooming in fall, and in warm climates, the blooms continue all winter. The evergreen foliage is dark and leathery with toothed edges. Individual flowers are tiny but noticeable since they bloom in clusters. The fragrance has been compared to that of jasmine, orange blossoms, or peaches. Tea olive cultivation is easy because they require little pruning, and they are relatively pest-free.

Osmanthus Tea Olive Care

Osmanthus needs a location in full sun or partial shade. They have a denser growth habit in full sun than in shade. Variegated types tend to bleach out in full sun, so give them a little afternoon shade. The shrubs tolerate most acid to neutral soils and need good drainage. Plant them 4 to 6 feet (1-2 m.) apart to form a hedge or screen. Water newly planted Osmanthus regularly until the shrub is established and begins to grow. After the first season, you only need to irrigate it during prolonged dry spells. Fertilize with a general-purpose fertilizer every year or two in fall. Spread the fertilizer over the root zone and water it in. You can also use a layer of compost as a slow-release fertilizer. Osmanthus doesn't need a lot of pruning. When you prune, remove branches selectively rather than shearing. Severe pruning can prevent the shrub from blooming for several years. You can remove the lower lateral branches to form a small, multi-trunked tree.

Did you know you can grow olive trees in the landscape? Growing olive trees is relatively simple given the proper location and olive tree care is not too demanding either. Let's find out more about how to grow olive trees.

Growing Olive Trees

Think of olive trees and one visualizes the warm sunny Mediterranean, but olive trees can be grown in North America as well. Most aptly suited to areas which are prone to high heat and plenty of sunshine, the olive tree should be planted outside and once established is fairly low maintenance. 

Olive trees have lovely silver leaves, which will compliment many other plantings of the garden but are also grown for their fruit. The olive tree's fruit can be pressed for oil or cured (brined) and eaten. There are other plants which bear the name “olive,” so make sure to look for a European olive tree when you are growing olive trees. 

Some cultivars that flourish here are self-fertilizing ones such as Arbequina and Mission, grown for oil and Manzanilla, which is the typical “California” black olive suitable for canning.

How to Grow Olive Trees

Most olive trees take about three years to come into maturity and begin to set noticeable amounts of fruit. To increase fruit set, it is recommended that you plant more than one cultivar close together. Olive trees like to be planted in well drained soil in a sunny area of the landscape. 

The olive tree is an evergreen that flourishes in hot dry areas and as such, will not do well in wet winter soil. Olive trees are usually purchased in either 4 inch (10 cm.) pots with numerous side branches and a height of 18 to 24 inches (46-61 cm.) or in a 1-gallon pot with a single trunk and a height of 4 to 5 feet (1-1.5 m.). Unless you are growing an olive tree for a strictly ornamental purpose, it is most advisable to plant a specimen with a single trunk for ease of harvest. 

Look for olive tree specimens that are actively growing with soft new growth sprouting from the shoot tips. In an olive tree orchard, the trees are spaced 20 feet (6 m.) apart to accommodate their eventual size, however, there is no strict rule of thumb on spacing. Spacing will vary according to the cultivar. Dig a hole the size of the olive tree's container. 

Leave the root ball alone except to remove or cut any circling roots. Do not add soil medium, compost, or fertilizer to the newly planted olive tree. Also, avoid adding gravel or drainage tubing. It is best for the young olive tree to acclimate to its soil.

Olive Tree Care

Once your new olive tree is planted, it is a good idea to provide drip irrigation as the tree will need water every day, especially during the summer months throughout its first year. Once you begin to see a quantity of new growth, feed the olive tree with nitrogen rich compost, conventional fertilizer, or concentrated organic. Minimally prune during the first four years, only enough to maintain shape. 

The young olive tree may need to be staked right up against the trunk to assist with stability. Commercial olive tree growers harvest fruit in September or October for canning purposes and small fruit is left until January or February and then pressed for oil.