Olive tree help

Hi, I've had this olive tree a few years. I was wondering would it be wise to prune it now? I did give it a fairly good prune last year (carefully). It still has a lot of gaps and doesn’t look as full as it did a few years ago. It almost died the year before due to frost so have been carful with it and give it olive tree feed every few weeks in the summer, which did seem to help. Along with not over watering. It sits in a pot on legs in the sunniest spot in my garden. Thank you

 

It's a good looking tree.
Best time to prune is after all risk of frosts have passed, so late Spring just before flowering.
But they don't need much pruning other than keeping it tidy and opening up the centre a bit.

That said, I trim mine any time during spring/summer if there are some long straggly branches and it's been happy with that for over 20 years.

 

When we moved to our current place, friends gave us a small potted olive tree. I'd like to plant it in the garden somewhere. Are there any soil types and locations in the garden we should specifically look for / avoid.

Our garden faces south-east from the rear of the house, and has quite high hedges all around. I don't particularly want to site it in the middle of the lawn. Will it be harmed if it is near to any other plants?

Many thanks.

 

I have no experience of growing them in the ground, but in the absence of any other replies, I'll offer my thoughts -

I don't think they're fussy about soil types other than that really good drainage is needed.
If your soil doesn't drain well then dig a much bigger hole and put a few inches if grit at the bottom, then mix in lots of organic matter into the base of the hole so there's good drainage below the roots then fill the sides in with soil, organic matter and grit.
Plant it at the same depth that it was in the pot.

Icy winter winds can cause damage, so plant it somewhere where it's relatively sheltered but will get as much summer sun as possible.

It won't really need any feeding in the ground, but a thick mulch in Spring will help.
Keep it well watered in the summer of the first season so it can get established.
Hope that helps

 

They do grow fast in the ground and can make a substantial tree, but pruning is possible.
I have one I planted some years ago and I've cut it hard back on a couple of occasions.
As to soil I'd suggest any, as long as it doesn't get water logged at any time of year.

 

Thank you @Pete8 and @pete
I've recently bought a good amount of grit, so that will help.
In our garden, maximum sunshine = maximum wind. Finding a suitable place is going to be tricky.
Interesting that you mention they grow quickly in the ground. I have a large planter, about 2ft in diameter at the top, tapering to about 1ft at the base. It has drainage holes at the holes, plus a couple more up the sides. Perhaps if I sink the pot into the ground, that might help restrict its growth - at least in my lifetime. I could always plant something else in the pot, under it.
I've got plenty of mulch - a sack of dead stems from the garden, cut into about one inch lengths. Or rough compost perhaps, might do.
Certainly I intend to keep it small(ish). It's about 3ft high now.
Thank you.

 

Planting in the container could work but I think you may have to think of it as a container plant in that situation and remember to water and feed it.

 

Hmmm, going on holiday for a couple of weeks would kill it, if we had no rain.
I've seen olive trees in Greece, in very dry conditions. Admittedly, I've no idea whether a system of watering them existed.

 

Mine has been in a big pot for over 20 years.
It's on my south facing patio adjacent to an east-facing fence so gets plenty of sun.
I'm not good at remembering to water it and often it'll go 2 weeks or more with no water - it doesn't seem bothered.
In all those years it's only got to about 7ft max and about 3ft wide.
I do chop bits off the top as I have an awning that I often use in the summer

Those in Greece and similar places are not watered in the summer, but the trees are used to it and grow a huge deep root system to search out moisture in very poor soil.
The silvery, waxy leaves do a great job at preventing dehydration.

 

If you sink the pot into the ground, I think you may risk the roots rotting if we get a wet winter.

 

Point taken - although the pot has drainage holes at the base, and a couple at the side.

 

But if the soil is sodden, the drainage holes will allow water to get into the pot..
Just something worth bearing in mind