Full sun or light shade. Evergreen, silvery green leaves with white undersides. Can be grown in small orchards in the residential landscape, though fruit production is very dependent upon ideal cultivation, irrigation, and climatic conditions (mild winters and long dry summers).
Olive is long-lived and drought hardy and tolerates thin alkaline soils. Cold tolerance, comparable to citrus, increases with age; small trees may be damaged in extreme winters and killed below 15 degrees. Of the many recommended varieties ‘Arbequina’ and ‘Mission’ are among the hardiest.
