Description Carry a little of the Mediterranean into your living room with this Olive Tree. Its silver-green leaves catch the light the way they would over a sunbaked hillside in Greece or Italy. At around 5 feet (1.5 m), this one is old enough to have the slim, characterful trunk and open canopy of a real tree, yet small enough to stand beside a sunny window in an apartment. Its narrow leaves are gray-green on top and silvery underneath, so the whole tree shimmers a little as the light shifts through it. Native to the Mediterranean and grown there for thousands of years, the olive tree is evergreen, holding that soft silver color right through the year. There's a reason the olive tree has stood for peace and plenty for so long, since even a young one brings a calm, sunlit warmth into a room. The main thing it asks for in return is light, so a bright, sunny spot keeps it happy and its foliage full, and beyond that it's about as low-drama as a tree this size gets. If you'd like to see the shape and fullness of yours before it arrives, we can walk you through the greenhouse on a live video call and show you the exact tree you're getting. Care Is an olive tree hard to care for indoors? An olive tree is fairly easygoing indoors, as long as you can give it enough sun, which is the one thing it truly needs. Water it only when the soil dries, keep it in your brightest spot, and olive tree indoor care mostly looks after itself. We're always here if you'd like a hand settling it in. How much light does an indoor olive tree need? Your olive tree wants as much bright, direct sun as you can give it, ideally 6 or more hours a day by your sunniest window. Light is what keeps its silvery foliage full and healthy, so choose the brightest spot in your home for it, and it's happy to spend summer outdoors soaking up even more if you have the space. How often should you water an olive tree? Olive trees are built for dry Mediterranean summers, so let the top 2 inches of soil dry out before watering, then water thoroughly and let it drain. It would far rather be a touch dry than soggy, so ease off in winter and lean toward underwatering, since wet roots are the main thing to avoid. What soil and pot does an olive tree like? Your olive tree does best in a free-draining, gritty potting mix in a pot with good drainage holes, much like the rocky ground it comes from. It's happy in a fairly snug pot, so there's no need to size up often, and good drainage is what keeps its roots healthy year to year. Does an olive tree need humidity? Refreshingly, no, the olive tree actually prefers dry air over the humidity most tropical houseplants crave. There's no need to mist it, and in fact keeping the air on the drier side suits it perfectly, which makes it an easy fit for a normal, heated home. Do you need to fertilize an olive tree? Feed your olive tree with a balanced fertilizer a few times through spring and summer, while it's actively growing. It's a light, slow feeder, so there's no need to overdo it, and you can pause completely over fall and winter while it rests. Does an indoor olive tree grow olives? An indoor olive tree can sometimes fruit, but it usually won't, since olives need a lot of sun, some maturity, and often a cool winter spell to set. Most indoor olive trees are grown for their silvery foliage rather than a harvest, so think of any olives as a rare bonus. Pet friendly? Good news for pet households: the olive tree isn't listed as toxic to cats or dogs by the ASPCA, so it's a reassuring choice to keep around animals. As with any plant, a pet eating a lot of leaves could get a mildly upset stomach, so it's worth keeping big nibbles to a minimum, but there's nothing here that will harm them. Is the olive tree safe for dogs? The olive tree is non-toxic to dogs, so a curious sniff or the odd chewed leaf won't do any harm. To keep the foliage looking its best, it's still worth standing it where a bored dog won't strip the lower branches. Is the olive tree safe for cats? Cats are safe around the olive tree too, since it isn't on the ASPCA's toxic list. Some cats are actually drawn to olive wood and leaves in a catnip-like way, so if yours takes an interest, there's no harm done, though a higher or steadier spot keeps both cat and tree content. Factoids How long do olive trees live? Olive trees are some of the longest-living trees on earth, with wild ones in the Mediterranean known to reach hundreds and even over a thousand years old. Yours won't need quite that long a commitment, but with good care an olive tree can be a companion for many, many years. Do olive trees stay green all year? Yes, the olive tree is evergreen, so it keeps its silvery leaves right through winter rather than dropping them like a deciduous tree. It may shed the odd older leaf here and there, which is completely normal, but it won't go bare on you in the colder months. What are the main olive tree varieties? There are lots of olive tree varieties, and popular ones for growing in pots include Arbequina and Koroneiki, along with compact types like 'Little Ollie' and fruitless kinds like 'Swan Hill'. Grown indoors, they're valued mostly for that soft silvery foliage, and we're happy to talk you through what we have on a call. Are olive trees fast or slow growing? Olive trees are slow, steady growers, which is part of why they live so long and hold their shape so well. That unhurried pace means your olive tree won't outgrow its corner in a hurry, giving you years to enjoy it at a comfortable size. Buy an olive tree An olive tree brings a piece of sunlit Mediterranean calm into your home, in a tree that's slow-growing, pet-safe, and happy in the driest, brightest corner you've got. Ours arrive full and healthy from our New Jersey greenhouse, and if you'd like to choose yours first, book a free video shopping call so we can show you around the greenhouse on camera. When you're ready, we deliver it ourselves by van and driver, with none of the shipping-box handling, and stay on hand to help with olive tree care for as long as you own it. Meta title (49 characters)Olive tree, indoor Mediterranean tree | Dahing Meta description (153 characters)Bring home an olive tree, a pet-safe indoor tree with silvery Mediterranean foliage. Get olive tree care tips, see yours on a free video call, we deliver.
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