The olive tree is one of the most beautiful, powerful, and rewarding trees to grow in your garden. Olive trees are regarded as a symbol of peace and fertility, while they thrive in warm climates, they also do well in areas with colder, but still mild, temperatures. To bloom, an olive tree requires full sunlight and well-draining soil.
Olive trees look great in nearly every home or office, so we pulled together a list of reasons that every home should have at least one olive tree in it.
Before we dive into that list, let’s take a look at some interesting facts about olive trees.
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5 Interesting Facts About the Olive Tree
Besides being an attractive plant, there are other reasons to want it as part of your home décor. They include:
- It’s one of the oldest cultivated trees, with records of cultivation dating back 6,000 years.
- It originated in the Mediterranean region.
- The olive tree can live up to 1,000 years! It takes about 20 years for an olive tree to reach full maturity and start producing olives.
- Olives are drupes (fruit with a fleshy outer layer surrounding a seed), not berries like you might think.
- Olives are considered to be a symbol of peace and fertility.
Why Olive Trees Are Good for Homes
Olive trees are one of the best plants to add to your home. Here’s just a few reasons why:
Ease of care
Olive Trees require very little maintenance. You need to water them regularly and avoid direct sunlight and drafts (they don’t like cold temperatures). If you’re looking for something that won’t require too much fussing over, this might be the plant for you!
Air-cleaning capabilities and heartiness
Olive trees release a chemical called oleuropein that acts as an anti-microbial agent. It absorbs toxins and produces oxygen, which helps to reduce mold and mildew growth in your home.
They are long-lasting.
If you plant an olive tree now, it will be many years before you need to replace it.
They produce tasty snacks.
The olives from an olive tree can be eaten raw or cooked into various delicious dishes, so when hunger strikes, you’ll always have something healthy on hand.
An Olive Tree Can Be Good for Your Feng Shui Flow
If you are wondering, are olive trees good for feng shui? Wonder no more because olive trees are perfect for us in feng shui. Olive trees are a symbol of peace, fertility, and abundance. They are also strongly associated with the goddess Athena, who is often depicted carrying an olive branch and an owl.
Olive trees are suitable for feng shui because they represent abundance and prosperity. The ancient Greeks considered them sacred and would dip their branches in a water bowl to keep them alive. They also believed that if they planted an olive tree on their property, it would bring them wealth.
In feng shui, olive trees are associated with the element earth and the color green. They can be placed in any room where you want to create more wealth or promote good health. They’re also good for attracting love.
If you’d prefer not to keep a live olive tree, an artificial tree is a great alternative. They can be cheaper than real ones, look good, and can also work for feng shui. Artificial plants can be used in all areas of your home or office to help create balance and harmony.
Olive Tree Plants Are Easy To Grow and Maintain at Any Time of the Year
Olive trees grow best in Mediterranean climates but can be grown indoors anywhere. The best time to plant an olive tree is when the temperature is above 50 degrees Fahrenheit when the ground is not frozen.
If your area experiences frost, cover your young tree with a large sheet of plastic or a tarp until it gets established, or you risk losing it. To get fruit from an olive tree, it needs at least four hours of sunlight daily.
Watering your olive tree is another essential part of its care. Olive trees like water, but they should never be left standing in water, so be careful not to overwater.
How Do Olive Seeds Grow?
Growing an olive tree indoors is a great way to enjoy the beautiful, fragrant, and tasty fruit of an olive tree all year long. But how do olive tree seeds grow?
Olive seeds need warm weather to germinate properly, so you should wait until springtime before planting them outdoors if possible. If not, consider using a greenhouse or other indoor growing environment. These provide enough sunlight during the winter months. Provide heat from underneath their pots or trays to prevent freezing.
What Kind of Soil Does an Olive Tree Need?
Keeping an olive tree alive requires soil that drains well. Olive trees like their roots in dry soil, so the tree will start to decline if your soil is too wet.
Dig a hole three feet deep to determine whether your soil is wet. If water comes out of the hole within 24 hours, it means you need to improve the drainage of your soil.
How Much Water Does an Olive Tree Need?
Olive trees are generally drought-resistant, but you may need to water them if you live in a hot climate or have sandy soil. They need about 0.8 gallons of water per week for smaller trees and up to 2.5 gallons of water per week as the trees grow bigger.
Watering an olive tree also depends on various conditions, including soil type, temperature, and rainfall patterns.
Olive Tree Plants Are Relatively Inexpensive
Olive trees are relatively inexpensive, especially when compared to other fruit trees like apples and pears. They can be purchased as growing plants or grown from seeds.
If you want an olive tree that produces fruit within the first couple of years, it’s best to purchase a growing plant rather than buying the tree at a nursery.
Olive Tree Decorating Ideas Are Nearly Endless
The options for where to place an olive tree are nearly endless, especially if you have a few different varieties of olive trees in your yard. Because of their adaptability, they can thrive in high or low sunlight and survive in nearly any mild climate. This makes them an ideal plant for landscaping purposes.
But olive trees aren’t limited to sprucing up your yard. They are perfect for indoor decorating, as well. Here are some great ways of decorating with olive trees indoors:
- As a centerpiece on a table or fireplace.
- As part of an outdoor garden scene (or indoor one too).
- As part of a potting project (using both the leaves and branches).
- To decorate your front porch during the holidays.
Artificial Olive TreePlants Often Look Just Like the Real Thing, and Some Even Have Fruit
If you like to travel or prefer a minimalist home, artificial olive plants can be a good fit. Since they require little care, you can keep them almost anywhere in your home. They also come in all shapes and sizes, so you can find exactly what you are looking for.
Final thoughts
No matter where you choose to put your olive tree, this attractive, long-lived plant is a great addition to your home — both inside and outside. Do you have an olive tree? Do you have tips for growing or decorating with olive trees? We’d love to hear all about it in the comments!
