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OLEA. Olive. Mediterranean region. It seems odd even to be growing the olives, given California gardeners’ current obsession with showy flowers. But here you are. If you haven’t seen an olive tree, you are probably a newcomer to California, but I will describe them anyway. Most have several arching, somewhat contorted trunks which conspire to form a round to parasol-shaped head, up to 30’ overall unless the gardener intervenes (they are quite amenable to pruning and shaping). They have attractive grey bark and usually narrow leaves up to 3" long, deep green to grey-green above and grey-green to silvery beneath. The clustered flowers are small, white and fragrant. What comes next, you must already know. The olives are up to 1½” long, roughly round to oval, and dark red to nearly black in color. After trying to eat one, you will probably wonder how they ever became a major food crop (extended soaking, usually in lye or brine, is needed to make them palatable).

‘Skylark Dwarf’, introduced in the late ‘60s by my father, was our first offering. This one was selected specifically as an ornamental, being shrubby and small (probably 10’ at maturity) and having neat rows of branches set with equally neat rows of smallish leaves. It sets few, sometimes no fruits unless a different olive is nearby to act as a pollinator. ‘Frantoio’ is a more conventional, broad-headed tree with somewhat pendulous branches. It sets a good crop of medium-sized black olives, good for eating and for their fragrant oil but obviously not so for sidewalks. ‘Leccino’ is an even broader tree with typical foliage, except for the pale yellow undersides of the leaves. It sets a heavy crop of deep purple olives, prized for their oil, but only with another selection nearby. ‘Pendolino’ has an attractive weeping habit and is a good pollinator for other olives. However, it needs cross-pollination with another selection to set its abundant but small, black fruits, which yield an excellent light oil. If you don’t want the fruits, a successful strategy for all but ‘Frantoio’ is to plant only the one cultivar and hope that your neighbor does likewise. Sun, reasonably well drained soil, only occasional watering when established (they are nearly as drought tolerant as our native oaks). Hardy to 15oF. or less.