Verdale Olive

Verdale is the dual purpose olive, a South Australian selection grown for both table olives and oil. Olea europaea 'Verdale' reaches about 5m tall and 4m wide left alone, though it is easily held at 3m, and the silver grey canopy holds through drought, heat, salt wind and poor soil without complaint.

Why you'll love it

• A commercial variety at garden scale. It is planted across South Australia for a reason: it crops reliably and heavily.
• Silver foliage all year. The grey green canopy is evergreen and reads as a colour, not just a backdrop.
• It handles the hard sites. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, heat tolerant, salt tolerant and content in poor soil, which is a rare combination.
• You decide the height. Around 5m unpruned, or an easy 3m hedge or clipped standard with one trim a year.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 2m apart in a single row for a screen. The canopy is open by nature, so expect a soft silver hedge rather than a solid green wall.

Groves and driveways. Space trees 4m apart for a grove or an avenue. That gives each canopy room to spread and keeps harvesting straightforward.

Pots and feature planting. A pot 500mm or wider holds a Verdale at around 2m for years, which suits a courtyard or a matched pair at an entry.

Growing Verdale olive in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, always. It is at home in Mediterranean, warm temperate, cool temperate and arid gardens, and frost hardy enough for inland and southern districts. Humid subtropical summers are its weak point, where fungal leaf spot is more likely and fruit set can be light.

Soil. Drainage matters far more than fertility. It grows well in shallow, rocky, alkaline and poor soils but sulks in wet clay, so plant on a raised mound if that is what you have.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then it needs very little. A complete fertiliser in early spring and again after harvest is enough. Overwatering and overfeeding produce leaves at the expense of fruit.

Pruning. Prune in late winter, opening the centre so light reaches the inner branches, since olives fruit on last season's wood. For a hedge, one shear in late winter and a light tidy in summer.

What to expect when it arrives

Four sizes are grown: 200mm in packs of six, 250mm in packs of three, 300mm singles, and advanced 90L trees. The 200mm and 250mm plants are young and single stemmed, the sensible buy for a hedge or grove you will prune to shape anyway. A 300mm plant is the usual middle ground, and a 90L tree arrives with a formed trunk and canopy.

Olives travel well, and some leaf drop in the first fortnight is normal. Plants 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. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full olive tree range
• How to plant and maintain a hedge
• More edible plants for the garden
• Compare drought tolerant plants

Common questions

Do I need a second olive tree for pollination?

Verdale sets some fruit on its own, and crops noticeably better with another olive variety flowering nearby. Olives are wind pollinated, so a second tree within about 30m is enough.

How far apart should I plant a hedge?

Two metres apart for a screen, four metres for a grove or driveway avenue. Closer than 2m and the lower branches shade each other out.

When can I pick the olives?

Autumn into early winter, green for table olives or left to darken for oil. A young tree gives a token crop in its third or fourth year and builds from there.

Will the fruit make a mess on paving?

Dropped olives stain concrete and pavers, so keep the tree 2m clear of hard surfaces and pick the crop each autumn.