The Best Olive Trees for Your Garden: A Beginner's Guide

Olive trees are one of the easiest ways to bring sculptural Mediterranean elegance to an Australian garden. They handle drought, frost, heat and most well-drained soils. They look expensive with minimal effort. And for beginners, the choice comes down to three questions: do you want fruit, do you want a hedge or a feature, and how much space do you have.

Below we cover the three best olive varieties for beginners, how to plant them and how to keep them looking their best.

What is an olive tree

Olea europaea is the classic Mediterranean olive, grown for thousands of years across southern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. In Australia they have naturalised across the warm dry parts of the country and now grow happily from Perth to Brisbane to Tasmania, given full sun and good drainage. Mature trees are evergreen, silver-foliaged and live for decades.

Best olive varieties for beginners

Manzanillo, the all-rounder fruiting olive

If you want fruit, plant Manzanillo. It produces large plump olives that work for table or oil, has a beautifully rounded form, and the silver-grey foliage looks the part year round. Mature size is around 6-10m tall by 4-6m wide, so it suits feature planting in medium to large gardens.

Swan Hill, the no-fruit Mediterranean look

Swan Hill is the non-fruiting olive bred for pool surrounds, paved entries and anywhere a clean ground line is the priority. Same silver foliage, same Mediterranean elegance, no fruit drop. 5-7m by 3-5m, can be pruned to desired height as a hedge or kept as a tidy feature.

Tolley's Upright, the narrow columnar olive

For narrow spaces, courtyards or formal pencil-style hedges, Tolley's Upright is the answer. Strongly columnar at 4-5m tall by just 1-2m wide, it produces minimal fruit and gives a Tuscan vertical accent in tight conditions.

Planting an olive tree

Olives love full sun and well drained soil. They are not fussy about soil type, and they thrive when planted in a position that drains freely. Dig the hole twice the width of the rootball and the same depth. Sit the rootball level with the surrounding soil, backfill with original soil mixed with a handful of compost, and water in deeply. Any season works with the right watering rhythm — summer planting is particularly strong because soils are warm and roots grow fastest, with morning and evening watering for the first two weeks.

For hedges, space Swan Hill at 1.5-2m centres and Tolley's Upright at 1m centres. For a feature Manzanillo, give it at least 4m clear all round.

Olive tree care

Water young trees weekly through the first summer to get roots down. After that, olives are drought tolerant and prefer deep infrequent watering over shallow frequent watering. Feed once a year in early spring with a balanced slow release fertiliser. Add a handful of lime if your soil is acidic.

Prune in late winter. Keep the centre open so light and air reach all the foliage, and cut back to 5-7 main branches radiating from the trunk at about 1.2m above the ground. This is the classic open vase shape that produces the best fruit and the best form.

Frequently asked questions

When should I plant my olive tree?

Containerised olives can be planted any time of year. Autumn and early winter are popular for establishment, and summer planting is just as strong with morning and evening watering for the first two weeks.

Are olive tree roots well behaved?

Yes. Olives have a relatively shallow spreading root system rather than a deep aggressive taproot. Comfortable near paving and structures with reasonable clearance.

How much water do they need?

Very little once established. Young trees enjoy weekly deep watering through the first summer. Mature trees are drought tolerant and only need occasional deep watering in extended dry spells.

What is the difference between black and green olives?

Same fruit, different ripeness. Green olives are picked before full ripeness and have a firmer texture and slightly bitter taste. Black olives are picked fully ripe with a softer texture and milder flavour.

Which is the most popular variety?

Manzanillo and Kalamata are the two most planted fruiting varieties in Australia. Manzanillo for big mild table olives, Kalamata for smaller intense ones. For non-fruiting, Swan Hill is the clear leader.

Final thoughts

For most beginners, the choice is straightforward. Manzanillo if you want fruit and a single feature tree. Swan Hill if you want the Mediterranean look without the fruit drop. Tolley's Upright if you have a narrow space and want a tall slim hedge. All three are tough, low maintenance and look better with age.