VOLUME DISCOUNTS APPLY AUTOMATICALLY AT CHECKOUT.

All stock is grown, maintained and graded in strict accordance with AS 4373-2007, Australian Standard for Nursery Stock.
The Best Olive Trees for Your Garden: 4 Picks by Purpose

The Best Olive Trees for Your Garden: 4 Picks by Purpose

A practical guide to the best olive trees for Australian gardens, covering fruiting, non-fruiting and compact varieties for hedging, feature and Mediterranean planting.
EvergreenFeature TreeFruit TreeMediterraneanOlive Tree

Olive trees are one of the most reliable feature plantings for a garden. Silver foliage, sculptural form, and a complete tolerance for dry sun. Different varieties suit different jobs — from a fruiting kitchen garden to a clean fruitless front entrance, from a narrow side passage to a courtyard pot.

The four olives below are the ones we recommend most often. Together they cover every common olive question: do I want fruit, do I want a clean fruitless tree, do I have a narrow space, or do I want a compact pot-friendly olive.

  • Olea europaea 'Manzanillo' — the classic Spanish olive grown for table fruit and oil. Silvery foliage, broad spreading form, generous crops in good years. The default pick.
  • Olea europaea 'Swan Hill' — the fruitless olive. All the Mediterranean character with none of the staining fruit drop. Made for driveways, pool surrounds and paved entries.
  • Olea europaea 'Tolley's Upright' — the columnar olive for narrow spaces. Tight upright form, low fruit production, same silvery foliage. The Italian Cypress with olive credentials.
  • Olea europaea 'Tolley's Upright' — the columnar olive for narrow spaces. Tight upright form, low fruit production, same silvery foliage. The Italian Cypress with olive credentials.
  • Olea europaea 'Bambalina' — the compact olive bred for smaller modern gardens. Tidier than Manzanillo, still productive, made for courtyard planters and townhouse front gardens.

Compare at a glance

CultivarHeightWidthFormFoliageBest if you…
Olea europaea 'Manzanillo'
Manzanillo Olive 		3 to 5m3 to 4mSpreading rounded crownEvergreen, silver-green narrow leavesMediterranean gardens, courtyards, productive plantings
Olea europaea 'Swan Hill'
Swan Hill Olive 		5 to 8m4 to 6mUpright with a rounded crownEvergreen, silver-green narrow leavesDriveways, pool surrounds, paved entries, low allergy gardens
Olea europaea 'Tolley's Upright'
Tolley's Upright Olive 		3 to 5m1 to 2mNarrow, columnar, naturally uprightEvergreen, silver-green narrow leaves on a tight upright frameNarrow beds, courtyards, paired entry trees, formal driveways
Olea europaea 'Bambalina'
Bambalina Olive 		3 to 4m2 to 3mCompact, roundedEvergreen, silver-green narrow leavesCourtyards, large pots, smaller productive gardens
Decide fruit or fruitless
Manzanillo and Bambalina are productive olives for the kitchen. Swan Hill is the fruitless cultivar bred for ornamental use — the right pick for driveways, pools and paved entries where fruit drop would stain. Tolley's Upright sits in the middle with very low fruiting.
Match to your space
Manzanillo wants 3 to 4m of width and a sunny front lawn position. Swan Hill takes 4 to 6m as a larger fruitless feature. Tolley's Upright fits a 1 to 2m strip. Bambalina sits happily in a 75L pot or a 2 to 3m courtyard bed.
Climate fit
Olives evolved around the Mediterranean. Hot summers, mild winters, well-drained soil and low rainfall — a description that fits much of the country. All four varieties handle 30°C and above and drought once established.
Avoid humid coastal positions
In humid coastal climates olives can struggle with leaf disease. Choose well-ventilated open positions in those areas and prune the canopy to open the centre for air movement.
Productivity expectations
From a 40cm starter plant, expect a meaningful crop on Manzanillo or Bambalina in three to five years. Olives bear heavily in alternate years — a big crop one year, lighter the next, both normal.
Maintenance
All four olives ask very little once established. A single light shaping prune in late winter, a balanced spring feed, and deep mulch out to the drip line. That's the whole job.
Olea europaea 'Manzanillo'

1. Olea europaea 'Manzanillo' (Manzanillo Olive)

Manzanillo is the classic Spanish olive grown for table fruit and oil. Silvery foliage, broad spreading form, and a generous crop in good years. The variety most Australian growers reach for first.

Type
Mediterranean feature and fruit tree
Height
3 to 5m
Width
3 to 4m
Growth rate
Moderate to fast
Foliage
Evergreen, silver-green narrow leaves
Flowers
Small cream flowers in spring followed by black olives in autumn
Form
Spreading rounded crown
Conditions
Full sun. Drought tolerant once established. Well-drained soil
Maintenance
Light prune to shape in late winter. Feed in spring for fruit
Best for
Mediterranean gardens, courtyards, productive plantings

Why choose it

The default recommendation for buyers who want fruit and the classic olive look. Reliable in Australian conditions.

Perfect pair

Layers beautifully with a clipped Laurus 'Miles Choice' Bay hedge behind for a Tuscan kitchen-garden feel, Japanese Box Topiary Balls at the base, and Star Jasmine as a fragrant Mediterranean groundcover.

Tips for planting

Olives drop fruit. Don't plant directly over paving or paths if you want clean ground.

Silver foliage, real olives, no fuss.

Shop Olea europaea 'Manzanillo'
Olea europaea 'Swan Hill'

2. Olea europaea 'Swan Hill' (Swan Hill Olive)

Swan Hill is the fruitless olive selected to give you all the Mediterranean character with none of the staining fruit drop. Silver foliage, low pollen production, and an upright form that fits where a fruiting olive can't.

Type
Mediterranean ornamental feature tree
Height
5 to 8m
Width
4 to 6m
Growth rate
Moderate
Foliage
Evergreen, silver-green narrow leaves
Form
Upright with a rounded crown
Conditions
Full sun. Drought and coastal tolerant. Well-drained soil
Maintenance
Light prune to shape. Otherwise low input
Best for
Driveways, pool surrounds, paved entries, low allergy gardens

Why choose it

Our recommendation when buyers want the look of an olive but cannot afford fruit drop on paving or near pools.

Perfect pair

Layers beautifully with a Murraya clipped hedge for a clean Mediterranean courtyard composition, Japanese Box Topiary Balls at the base, and Westringia fruticosa as a low silver underplanting.

Tips for planting

Plant Swan Hill where its silver canopy will read against a wall or fence rather than getting lost in mixed planting.

The olive that earns its place near the front door.

Shop Olea europaea 'Swan Hill'
Olea europaea 'Tolley's Upright'

3. Olea europaea 'Tolley's Upright' (Tolley's Upright Olive)

Tolley's Upright is the columnar olive for narrow spaces. A tight upright form, low fruit production, and the same silvery Mediterranean foliage. Excellent in pairs flanking a driveway or doorway.

Type
Columnar Mediterranean feature tree
Height
3 to 5m
Width
1 to 2m
Growth rate
Slow to moderate
Foliage
Evergreen, silver-green narrow leaves on a tight upright frame
Flowers
Cream spring flowers, minimal fruiting
Form
Narrow, columnar, naturally upright
Conditions
Full sun. Drought tolerant. Well-drained soil
Maintenance
Very low. Light tidy if needed
Best for
Narrow beds, courtyards, paired entry trees, formal driveways

Why choose it

Recommended when buyers want an olive but only have a 1m wide strip to work with. The columnar form does what no other olive can.

Perfect pair

Layers beautifully with a low Westringia hedge underneath for a tight formal Mediterranean line, plus Japanese Box Topiary Balls at the base for sculptural punctuation.

Tips for planting

Plant in pairs or a row at 1.5m centres for an avenue effect. Resist the urge to over prune — the columnar habit is natural.

The Italian cypress with olive credentials.

Shop Olea europaea 'Tolley's Upright'
Olea europaea 'Bambalina'

4. Olea europaea 'Bambalina' (Bambalina Olive)

Bambalina is the compact olive bred to suit smaller modern gardens. Tidier than Manzanillo, still productive, with neat silver foliage and a rounded form that fits courtyard planters and small Mediterranean beds.

Type
Compact Mediterranean feature tree
Height
3 to 4m
Width
2 to 3m
Growth rate
Moderate
Foliage
Evergreen, silver-green narrow leaves
Flowers
Cream spring flowers followed by edible black olives
Form
Compact, rounded
Conditions
Full sun. Drought tolerant. Well-drained soil
Maintenance
Light prune in late winter to shape. Feed in spring
Best for
Courtyards, large pots, smaller productive gardens

Why choose it

Recommended for buyers who want fruit and the olive aesthetic but cannot give a Manzanillo the full 4m of width.

Perfect pair

Layers beautifully with a low Murraya or Westringia hedge for a tidy compact composition that suits a townhouse front garden, with Japanese Box Topiary Balls at the base.

Tips for planting

Grows happily in a 75L or larger pot. Top-dress with fresh mix annually.

Mediterranean character in a smaller footprint.

Shop Olea europaea 'Bambalina'

How to plant and care for them

Pick the position
Full sun with well-drained soil and free space above and around the canopy. For fruiting olives, allow easy access for harvest. For fruitless Swan Hill, the position can be tighter to walls and paving.
Prepare the planting hole
Dig the hole twice the width of the rootball and the same depth. Mix the original soil with aged compost rather than replacing it. Olives prefer sharp drainage — add coarse sand on heavy clay sites.
Plant level
Set the rootball so the top sits level with surrounding soil, never deeper. Backfill with the soil and compost mix and leave a watering well at the surface.
Water in deeply at planting
Soak the rootball thoroughly so the new soil settles around the roots. Top up the watering well twice in the first day if the soil drinks fast.
Stake for the first year
Stake young trees through the first year, especially on exposed sites. Two stakes outside the rootball with soft ties that allow the trunk to flex. Remove stakes once the tree is anchored.
Mulch out to the drip line
Lay 75 to 100mm of organic mulch from 50mm clear of the trunk out to the drip line. Mulch keeps roots cool and holds moisture through summer.
Light annual prune
A single light shaping prune in late winter is enough. Open the centre for air movement, remove crossing branches, and tidy the canopy. Avoid hard pruning into bare wood.
Spring feed
A balanced slow-release fertiliser in early spring is enough. Fruiting trees benefit from a second feed after fruit set to support the crop.

The wrap up

The four olives split cleanly by purpose. Manzanillo is the productive default. Swan Hill is the fruitless pick for paving and pools. Tolley's Upright is the columnar narrow-space answer. Bambalina is the compact pot and courtyard olive.

Whichever variety you choose, plant in full sun with well-drained soil, water deeply through the first two summers, and the tree will look better every year for decades. A single olive can carry a front garden. A row of them can frame an entire driveway.

You might also like

Top Hedging Trees That Thrive in Clay Soils: 12 Picks Plus the Complete Clay-Soil Planting Guide

Drought-Tolerant Trees for Australian Climates

Hedging Plants for Privacy in Australian Gardens

Best Japanese Maples for Australian Gardens

Comments

  • interested 20 Bambalina to create a hedge December 14, 2024

    Want Bamblina olive trees for privacy around a garden from a busy road.

  • Margaret August 10, 2023

    How can I identify the variety of olive on the property I purchased six years ago on the Mornington Peninsula . The fruit are plentiful , but only the size of sultana grapes when ripe . It is approx 4m H x 4m W . I have not pruned or fertilised it .

Leave a comment. Comments will be reviewed before being published.