olive trees in Italian gardens

Olive trees in Italian gardens

Olive trees symbolise the Italian garden and landscape more than many other Mediterranean plant and their cultivation has been linked very closely with man since early times. Olive trees have almost come to depend on man for their survival through annual pruning and the same can be said for most cultures in the Mediterranean, as olive oil forms the basis of the Mediterranean diet. Olive trees can survive for hundreds and, occasionally even thousands of years, if they are provided with the correct position and maintenance etc.

History of the olive tree in Italy

Olive oil has formed the basis of the renowned ‘Mediterranean diet’ for thousands of years, along with its medicinal properties. Homer, the great Greek poet, termed olive oil as being ‘liquid gold’ and Greek athletes would apply olive oil to their skin to render it supple as radiant. The olive tree is native to the southern Mediterranean but it is found in Lebanon, Iran and even parts of China. The olive tree was possibly brought to the Mediterranean by the Etruscans, who clearly delighted in its use. Ancient Etruscan vases depicted the scenes of the olive harvest and the tree was clearly a very special part of their mysterious culture.

Olive tree cultivation in Italy

There are around 300 varieties of olive tree in cultivation, the famous and widely used being the ‘Lecccino’, ‘Frantoio’ and Carolea’ varieties most widely used in Italy. Olive trees can grow from 8 to 12m tall and they thrive on the strong sunshine that can be found in most regions of middle and southern Italy, they do best on calcareous, free-draining soils near the coast and require little water, so Italy is one of the best suited countries for olive tree cultivation in the Mediterranean. Italy alone produces around 3,150 000 tons of olives per year and world production currently stands at a staggering 17, 320 000 tons and most of this is destined for the production of olive oil. The production of olive supports the largest and oldest agricultural practises in the whole of Europe.
When a sheltered position, in full sun and on a free draining soil has been found an olive tree will thrive and it requires no more than regular pruning to keep it healthy and producing olives. The ideal time to prune an olive tree in Italy is late February, early March and the important thing is to liberate the centre of the canopy, to enable the free flow of air. Suckers that grow from the base of the trunk must be removed annually as these essentially rob the olive tree of precious growth energy. The removal of these suckers will ensure the distribution of energy and nutrients to the main canopy and improve olive production.

Olive trees in Italian garden design

Italian gardens are symbolised by the presence of silver-grey foliage as this is typical of native Mediterranean plants, the silver hue helps deflect the strong sunlight and reduce water loss within the plant. The shimmering silver grey foliage of the olive tree also resonates a timeless feel within the Italian garden and tends to harmonise pastel colour schemes wonderfully. The gnarled, rugged trunk of the olive tree also offers a characteristic presence in the garden and the personality of an ancient olive tree could be likened to that of a charming elderly Italian gentleman. When illuminated from below the trunk of the olive tree is as valuable as any sculpture within the Italian garden and it radiates a warm, ancient old world charm throughout the Italian garden.
Olive trees, when combined with other grey-leaved Mediterranean plants, offer the perfect backdrop for the typical Italian garden and their use is without doubt fundamental when designing any Italian garden.