Olea europaea – Half Standard Tuscan Open Head

Description

These Olives from Tuscany are a great combination of a straight stem 90-100cm high with three or four main grafted branches that can be left clad in foliage or cleaned to show an open crown. The 10-12cm girth of the trunk is the circumference of the trunk.

The European Olive can live up to 2000 years. When the plant is young the trunk is straight and covered in smooth, silvery grey bark. Later the trunk becomes twisted, knobbly, darker and often with cavities. Olives are evergreen and have a narrowly oval leaf.

Olives are hardy in the southern UK and create great architectural features, however since we have three less growing months than the Mediterranean you are highly unlikely to see any Olive fruit developing. 

Olives can be be formally pruned and trained, or left to grow into a free form natural style. They require full sunlight and do not like excessive soil moisture so extra care must be taken to plant them in deep, dry, permeable soil in a south facing position protected from strong wind.

Origin: Mediterranean basin