Nevadillo Blanco Olive Tree

Nevadillo Blanco (Olea europaea 'Nevadillo Blanco') is the Spanish oil olive, and one of the most useful trees you can plant in a dry garden. It reaches about 5m tall and 3.5m wide but grows slowly enough to hold at 3m with light pruning, carrying silver grey foliage that never looks tired through a hot summer. It is self fertile, so a single tree will set fruit on its own.

Why you'll love it

• One tree is enough. Self fertile and a reliable pollinator for other olive varieties, so it fruits alone or lifts the crop across a small grove.
• Silver foliage that holds all year. Evergreen grey green leaves with pale undersides catch the light in every season.
• It thrives on hard conditions. Drought, heat, frost, coastal salt and poor stony soil are all handled, so it suits sites that defeat other fruit trees.
• Roots that stay out of trouble. Non-invasive roots mean it can sit near paving, a driveway or a courtyard wall.

Where it works best

Feature planting. A single gnarled olive is the anchor of a Mediterranean or dry garden, and the silver canopy sits well against rendered walls and gravel.

Screening and hedging. Plant 2m apart for an olive screen. At that spacing the canopies knit into an informal silver hedge that takes clipping if you want it tighter.

Pots and driveways. A pot 600mm or wider will hold it at around 2m for years. For an avenue, space trees 4m apart so each canopy keeps its shape.

Growing Nevadillo Blanco in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, all day, is not negotiable for fruit or dense growth. It is at home in Mediterranean, warm temperate, arid and cool temperate gardens, and being frost hardy it handles cold southern winters. Humid subtropical and tropical gardens are the wrong fit, since wet warm air encourages leaf and fruit disease.

Soil. Free draining, and alkaline soil is a bonus rather than a problem. Poor stony ground produces a better tree than rich soil. On clay, plant on a raised mound. Waterlogged roots are the fastest way to lose an olive.

Water and feed. Deep soak weekly through the first two summers, then it copes on very little. Consistent water while the fruit swells improves the crop. Feed a complete fertiliser in early spring, and add lime every few years if your soil runs acidic.

Pruning. Prune in late winter to an open vase shape so light reaches the centre, since fruit forms on last season's wood. Remove suckers from the base as they appear. Hard pruning is tolerated well.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown as a single 90L tree, so you are buying an advanced specimen with a formed trunk and a branched head rather than a young whip. It reads as a tree on planting day, which matters with a species this slow.

Expect some leaf drop after transit, which is normal, and a quiet first season while the roots move out. Fruit generally follows two to three years from planting. Trees are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full olive tree range
• Compare drought tolerant plants
• When to plant a tree in Australia
• Salt tolerant plants for coastal gardens

Common questions

Do I need a second tree for fruit?

No. Nevadillo Blanco is self fertile and will crop on its own. It is also a strong pollinator, so adding one to an existing planting usually improves the yield on other varieties.

Can I keep it small?

Yes. It grows slowly and responds well to pruning, so an annual late winter trim holds it at 3m easily, or around 2m in a large pot.

Are the olives edible straight off the tree?

No. Raw olives are intensely bitter and must be cured in brine or salt before eating. This is an oil variety, so the fruit is small but high yielding.