Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Fruitless Olive Tree
Fruitless Olive gives Valley yards the silver Mediterranean look without the fruit drop. This Wilsonii variety is fruitless and pollen-free, with narrow gray-green leaves that are silvery underneath and a trunk that twists and gains character with age. It grows slowly to about 25 to 30 feet tall and wide, and it handles full sun, reflected heat and little water. Use it as a specimen, a patio or pool tree, or a shade tree in a water-wise yard.
Best for: a specimen or focal tree, patio and pool areas where fruit drop would stain, and low-water shade in full sun and reflected heat. A slow, long-lived evergreen with a twisting trunk.
Because Wilsonii sets no fruit, there are no olives staining the deck or clogging the pool. Its silver leaves hold up to the reflected heat off pool paving and hardscape. Plant it where it has 20 feet or more to spread.
Most trees grow one or several twisting trunks under a rounded crown of silver leaves. The trunk gets more gnarled and interesting every year. Set it where you can see the trunk from a window or seating area.
It keeps its leaves all year and needs little water once rooted, with an occasional deep summer soak. Plant a row 12 to 20 feet apart for a Mediterranean-style grove along a drive or wall.
Olives send up suckers at the base and fast upright shoots, so plan on a yearly trim. Wet soil can bring root rot, and the tree gets 25 to 30 feet wide, so keep it out of narrow side yards.
- Row or grove of trees12-20 ft apart, center to center
- Single shade tree20 ft or more from other trees
For the first two weeks, water a new tree every 1 to 2 days in summer, or every 3 to 4 days in cooler months. Ease to about weekly in summer by the second month. Keep up deep, regular soaks for its first 3 years.
It is a tough, low-care tree. Once rooted, soak it 2 to 3 feet deep about every 7 to 14 days in summer and every 2 to 4 weeks in winter. Water at the drip line, not the trunk.
Take off the nursery stake at planting. Stake only if the tree cannot stand on its own or sits in a windy spot. Use two stakes outside the root ball with soft, wide ties, and remove them after about a year.
Prune in late winter, around late February, and thin the crown lightly. Remove suckers at the base and fast upright shoots. Heavy thinning in summer can sunburn the bark.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
Is a fruitless olive really fruitless?
Yes. Wilsonii flowers are sterile, so the tree does not set olives. Buy from a nursery that names the variety, since mislabeled fruiting olives are sometimes sold.
Does a fruitless olive cause allergies?
It does not produce the allergy pollen that fruiting olives do, because its flowers are sterile. That makes it a good olive choice for allergy sufferers.
Is it legal to plant in Phoenix?
Yes. Phoenix bans pollen-producing olives but specifically allows pollenless varieties like Wilsonii. If you live in another city, check its list before you plant.
How big does it get?
It grows about 25 to 30 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide at maturity. Plant it with that full width in mind, well away from the house and other trees.
How fast does it grow?
It grows slowly to moderately, so the size you buy stays close to that size for a few years. Buy a larger box size if you want shade sooner.
How much water does it need?
It needs little water once established. Water a new tree often while it roots. After that, give it deep soaks about every 7 to 14 days in summer and every 2 to 4 weeks in winter.
Can it take reflected heat?
Yes. Olives love the desert summer heat. They handle full sun and reflected heat off walls and paving, even on a hot west or south side.
Is it cold hardy in the Valley?
Olives are hardy to about 15 to 20°F. Young trees can take damage in the low 20s but recover from short dips into the teens, so cover very young trees on hard freeze nights.
How do I prune a fruitless olive?
Prune lightly in late winter, around late February, and thin the crown only a little. Cut off suckers at the base and fast upright shoots each year to keep its shape.
What problems does it get?
Olives can get verticillium wilt, olive knot, scale and spider mites, and Texas root rot in wet soil. Plant it in well-drained soil and avoid overwatering to keep it healthy.
How far apart should I plant fruitless olives?
Plant them about 12 to 20 feet apart in a row or grove, and give a single shade tree 20 feet or more. The Spacing tab on this page counts trees for your yard.
Is a fruitless olive messy?
No. It drops very little litter, which is a big reason people plant it beside pools and patios.
Fruitless Olive Tree for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Fruitless Olive gives Valley yards the silver Mediterranean look without messy fruit or allergy pollen. It handles full sun and reflected heat and needs little water once established. Below are the questions people ask most about growing it here, from size and water to pruning, cold and city rules.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
Are olive trees illegal in Phoenix?
Phoenix city code bans selling or planting pollen-producing olive trees, but it excludes pollenless varieties. Wilsonii is a fruitless, pollenless olive, so it is allowed. Check your own city if you live outside Phoenix.
Is fruitless olive good for allergies?
Yes. Its flowers are sterile and it does not produce the allergy pollen that fruiting olives do. That is why Valley cities that ban fruiting olives allow it.
How big does a fruitless olive get?
Plan on about 25 to 30 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide, often with several twisting trunks. It grows slowly, so the size you plant stays close to that size for a while.
How far apart do you plant fruitless olive trees?
Plant them about 12 to 20 feet apart for a row or grove. Give a single shade tree 20 feet or more from other trees. The Spacing tab on this page counts trees for your yard.
Is a fruitless olive good by a pool?
It sets no fruit, so there are no olives to stain the deck or clog the pool. It also handles the reflected heat off pool paving.
How often do you water a fruitless olive in Phoenix?
Water a new tree often while it roots, then deeply every 1 to 2 weeks in summer and every 2 to 4 weeks in winter. Once established it gets by on little water, though an occasional summer soak helps.
Is fruitless olive cold hardy in the Valley?
Olives are hardy to about 15 to 20°F. Young trees can take damage in the low 20s, but they recover from short dips into the teens.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.