Want to buy an olive tree? If you’ve ever wondered how to go about buying it, and getting it delivered – then here’s some Villaggio guidance.
1. FIRST CHOOSE YOUR OLIVE TREE!
From our vast range of olive trees – old, young, ancient and gnarly, even twisted or shaped, there is a style that’s just right for you. But if you can’t find the perfect tree, just contact us and we will try our very best to find what you are looking for. Then you can order it, without even leaving your chair!
Important – when picking an olive tree – choose it by trunk!
Due to the short growing season in the UK, the crown grows slowly. We are often asked, ‘if I buy a younger smooth trunk, how long will it take to become gnarly’. The answer is simple, it will not become gnarly. If you want an Olive tree with a characterful gnarly trunk then you will need to have one from the outset. The other thing to consider when choosing a tree is the crown. We prune our Olive trees to encourage the branches to produce more shoots. The crown is ever changing so if you find a tree with the right trunk, don’t be put of if the crown is not perfect for you as it can be changed by pruning.
Please note that all trees are delivered in an industry standard heavy duty nursery pots design for initial planting and transportation.
On occasion, these may get damaged in transit or during manual handling as these have come from the original source (Spain). If a pot was to be damaged,
as these are not necessarily designed to be a permanent holding space for the tree we cannot refund or accept returns.
2. YOUNG AND SMALLER OLIVE TREES
Smaller olive trees are packed carefully in robust cartons to protect them in transit and delivered by a UK delivery company.
Smaller olive trees generally need to be potted into larger pots on receipt.
3. MOVING A MATURE OLIVE TREE
Most of our trees are delivered on pallets via a UK pallet network, the trees have to be wrapped for transporting this can sometimes cause shoots to break, we of course try are hardest to not cause breakages but if this happens prune away the damaged shoot and new growth will appear in the growing season, this has no adverse affect on the tree.
Please consider how you will move the tree and what size tree you can manage especially when it comes to steps, wall, gravel etc.
If you do have an issue mention it to us and sometime we have a solution as we have delivered many tree to many different places in many situations.
4. YOUR ORDER CONFIRMATION
Once you have placed your order we will email a delivery slot/date if this is not acceptable just email us back and we will alter it to a date convenient to you. (except Monday).
If you require assistance with planting or repotting it’s always best to try and find a local person, sometimes just a handyman is all you need to help with any lifting, digging etc.
5. ONCE YOUR OLIVE TREE IS DELIVERED…
Of course the next stage is all about where you want your new tree to live.
If it is going in the ground prepare the hole once you have the tree, the hole needs to match the root ball the tree is best planted in top soil or with a mixture of John Innes number 3 the position must be well drained as olive trees do not like to have a soggy bottom! If you are leaving the tree in a pot then its all about water and feeding. When an olive tree in newly planted it needs to be watered by hand for approx. 6-12 months do not rely on the rain. Pots need to be watered all year round and fed in the spring and summer (May -Sept).
Terracotta pots can be expensive so you can create your own bespoke planter for your olive tree, which could also raise your tree above the ground and make it taller.
Here’s how to build your own “planter”:-
Starting place: Thinking about the combination of the tree you want, and the space you have it can be old and gnarly, smooth trunked, tall, short, bushy, they are all the same hardy variety just different in size, age and look.
Bear in mind that olive trees are very tolerant of most things, but they do need well-drained soil always test the area if you are not sure, dig a hole as deep as the pot, put water in it and make sure it drains away within a few hours.
– Are you dig up an area of patio, or pulling up a few patio slabs underneath the “built planter” so the tree roots can get into soil will this drain ok?
– You will need to put drainage holes in the sides of your “built planter” if it’s on top of slabs so water can drain away.
Then there are two ways of creating your planter:-
1) Place the tree where you want it, and then start building around it. (We recommend this route)
2) You build the planter, then plant the olive tree in it when it is delivered.
With both options you’ll need to determine the root size of your tree, and how much space it will need. Olive trees can cope with confined spaces, but if you want the tree to look at its most natural, the container needs to be in scale with the trunk and crown of the olive tree.
Consider if you are going to plant around your tree perhaps leaving space for Lavender, aromatics etc.
Building materials:
There are loads of gorgeous building materials that you can choose to build around your olive tree. Consider which will work best in your environment:
– Slate
– Stone, including dry stone walling
– Reclaimed brick or new brick
– New sleepers (NEVER use old or used railway sleepers, they are contaminated with all sorts of oils and dirt, and can harm your tree and anything you plant around it) Certainly for the most inexpensive and probably quickest option is new sleepers giving you a modern contemporary look.
if you need any help please email us on: info@villaggioverde.co.uk.