Olea europaea – Bush

Description

If you are looking for an attractive silver foliage evergreen shrub then these simple Olive bushes are good choice that can be formally clipped into shape or left to grow out into a natural open free form.

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