Whether or not the climate is changing, gardeners have long been obsessed with creating gardens that reflect warmer climates. Whether it has been planting ‘subtropical’ bananas and summer bedding plants in Victorian times or experimenting with palms and bananas in the garden in recent decades, we long for planting that can be enjoyed on those rare summer days when the sun shines and we can pretend we are on holiday.
With the current sunny weather it is time to enjoy the patio and make it your outdoor sanctuary – or simply a place to relax with a cuppa!
Among the most popular of all plants for the Mediterranean ‘look’ are olive trees. When I started gardening it would have been considered foolish in the extreme to plant olives in the garden but now it is almost normal.
Nags Hall (and Knights at Betchworth) have a great choice of olives for sale at the moment including huge specimens at around £1000 for those that want a statement plant for the patio or courtyard. If your budget is more restricted you can buy standard trees – with a head of foliage on a straight stem – at just £80. These are a special offer price to celebrate the 80th year anniversary of the centre.
So is an olive right for you and how should you care for it?
Olives are fairly hardy and should survive temperatures down to -6c with no problems.
They are also drought-resistant but remember that this applies to trees growing in soil where their roots can grow deep to find moisture. If you grow them in pots the roots cannot search out moisture and if they are not watered, and the compost gets completely dry, even an olive will die of drought. SO – if you have an olive in a pot you must water it – even in winter if it is placed beside a building where it will receive little rain.
Most people will grow their olive in a pot. You can place these beside a building where they will get shelter from extreme cold. They liven up patios and look good wither side of a door or archway. If you do grow in pots use John Innes No 3 compost and NOT multipurpose. Keep them moist in summer and remember to feed them. You can use a liquid feed or sprinkle some controlled-release (season-long) fertiliser in spring. Olives are not heavy feeders but they do need some fertiliser.
You may want to grow your olives in the ground but this is more risky. This is because it is winter wet at the roots rather than cold alone that will damage your olive tree. If the spot where you plant is dry in summer, if the soil is sandy or beside the house you may be able to grow an olive in the border. But do not plant in wet clay.
If you have raised beds, so the soil is raised above ground level and there is no chance of the soil being waterlogged in winter you can plant an olive in that.
Olives need an open sunny spot and they are far more suitable of pots on a sunny patio than Japanese maples that really prefer some shade.
You can surround it with other Mediterranean plants such as as lavender, rosemary, cistus and thymes as well as alliums and other spring bulbs.
You can expect clusters of small white flowers in summer and, if you are lucky, you may even get olives. But even if you do, and if they turn black and ripen, remember that olives are processed to make them edible and ‘off the bush’ they are inedible and incredibly bitter.
An olive tree is a great way to bring a touch of the Mediterranean to any sunny garden or terrace and Nags Hall have plants to suit any budget.
To celebrate Knights 80th year, these standard olive trees are available, at an offer price of £80. These are a popular Tuscan variety called ‘Leccino’ which is grown for a mild-flavoured oil. It is a relatively hardy variety
What to do this week
The forecast is for sunny days but cold nights with the risk of light frost. So be careful when planting out tender plants. Antirrhinums and dianthus will withstand light frost but petunias and most other summer bedding will be damaged so be cautious!
The dry weather also means you will have to water your new plantings regularly until they have put their roots into the surrounding soil. And protect your new, tender plants from slugs and snails.
Sow lots more vegetables – most can be sown now.
Plant tomatoes in growing bags or pots in the greenhouse or polytunnel.
Sow courgettes now
Sow sunflowers in individual pots.
Spray roses if the new foliage is already infected with blackspot
And don’t forget to feed your lawn – but ideally do so when rain is forecast or you will have to water the lawn after you have spread the fertiliser