Plant Library

Other Names:  Wilson's Fruitless, syn. O. europaea Wilsonii

Description:

This spectacular fruitless variety has a graceful spreading habit, and features narrow, gray-green foliage that gives it a fine, airy texture; flowers are insignificant; an exciting ornamental plant that will become a beautiful accent tree or screen

Ornamental Features

Wilson Fruitless Olive has attractive grayish green foliage with gray undersides and tinges of silver on a tree with an upright spreading habit of growth. The narrow leaves are highly ornamental and remain grayish green throughout the winter. The smooth gray bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Wilson Fruitless Olive is an evergreen tree with an upright spreading habit of growth. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.

This tree will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should not require much pruning, except when necessary, such as to remove dieback. It is a good choice for attracting birds and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Wilson Fruitless Olive is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade
• Hedges/Screening
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Wilson Fruitless Olive will grow to be about 25 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 25 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live to a ripe old age of 300 years or more; think of this as a heritage tree for future generations!

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under average home landscape conditions. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Wilson Fruitless Olive is a fine choice for the yard, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.