Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

ShrubsTrees

Phillyrea latifolia

green olive

An evergreen shrub or small tree to 8m in height, with dark green leaves up to 6cm long. Fragrant, but not very striking yellowish-green flowers appear in spring and are followed by black fruits

Synonyms

Phillyrea media
Phillyrea latifolia var. media

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
15 suppliers

Ultimate height

4–8 metres

Time to ultimate height

10–20 years

Ultimate spread

4–8 metres

Sand

Loam

Moisture

Well–drained, Moist but well–drained

pH

Neutral, Acid

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

South–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Oleaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Phillyrea are evergreen shrubs with simple, opposite, leathery leaves and small, often fragrant white flowers, followed by purple to black berries
Name status: Correct
Plant range: Mediterranean

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, well-drained soil, ideally in full sun, with shelter from cold, dry winds. Tolerates partial shade. Salt tolerant foliage suited to exposed coastal sites. It is an ideal specimen for cloud pruning

Propagation

Semi-ripe cuttings with bottom heat in summer (in a propagator,for example)

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Coastal
Mediterranean climate plants
Low Maintenance
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Pruning group 1 and pruning group 8. If grown as a hedge, clip in summer

Pests

May be susceptible to Phillyrea whitefly

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus in gardens where it is present but insufficient data to determine degree of susceptibility

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.