We planted the little ollie olive tree, which is a fantastic drought tolerant plant, as part of our backyard redesign. Olive branches are a symbol of peace and the Little Ollie, sometimes known as a Dwarf Olive Tree, definitely adds a peaceful element to a garden.
Planting your Little Ollie / Dwarf Olive
As with most plants, a good rule of thumb is to dig a hole twice as deep and wide as the container that your plant comes in. My soil can be difficult to dig so I often give it 4-6″ extra on the bottom and then backfill. This may seem odd, but the loose dirt helps the plant get established and not stay in a compact root ball.
Place your plant in the hole so that the top of the rootball is level with your soil. Then backfill the dirt around it carefully.
Once you have your plant in the ground, use mulch, rocks, or bark to help trap the moisture in the ground. I can not emphasize enough how important this is, especially in a hot climate.
Olea europaea
The Little Ollie is a dwarf non-fruiting olive variety. It grows to about 6 feet, but it can be easily pruned and shaped. It is mounding and slow growing. This fantastic little plant works great in a Mediterranean Climate. The Little Ollie is drought, heat, and salt tolerant.
This works great as a small hedge. This is such an attractive and low maintenance plant that since we have planted it several people we know have added it to their yards, all with great results.
USDA Hardiness Zone: 8-11 find your zone
Sunset Climate Zone: 3 – 24, 29, 30, 33 find your zone
Drought Tolerant: Yes
Deer Resistant: No
Sun: Full Sun
Water: Once established, only occasional water is required. No water needed in winter with rainfall.
Size: 6 feet tall and wide (can be easily pruned smaller though as it is a slow growing shrub)
I have seen the Little Ollie Olive Tree for sale at Lowes for a reasonable price. I purchased mine from a local wholesale Nursery called Evergreen Nursery.
2 Comments
Hi there,
I love olive trees, and recently found out about little Ollies. I recently purchased four to plant on our slope garden. I would love to see them grow into little trees. I noticed you wrote this article last year.
I imagine your little Ollie hasn’t grown much, I wonder if you know how fast/slow they grow – my hunch is slow. Say, from the size of your shrub, how long do you think they grow to be a 6 ft. dwarf tree?
Thanks!
Jacque
Jacque, they are a lot bigger than they were, currently, they are probably close to 4 feet in circumference. They could easily grow to 6 feet, but it will take several years. That being said, they could be pruned into a tree shape as well. Because they are dwarf and grow pretty slowly keeping them a certain size and shape isn’t arduous to maintain. I have several and the ones that are on level ground are larger and more robust. A few are planted on a significant slope. The ones on the slope are a foot smaller in size, but still healthy and growing.