Talk to me about Fruitless Olive trees... (Queen Creek: new house, gardening)

[HX_Guy]

What's your guys' take on Fruitless Olive trees? Just bought a nice 48" box tree today in a very unlikely way for me - with no previous research.

We actually went in looking for an Ironwood, but the size and the super slow growth (as we were told) lead us to the Fruitless Olive, which has a very similar look.

This is going in an interior courtyard at our new house, so needed something that doesnt grow very big and also doesnt have huge or invasive roots - hopefully the Fruitless Olive fits the bill.

[wit-nit]

Depends on which variety of "fruitless" olive tree. There are several, the 'majestic beauty', the 'swan hill', the 'skylark', the 'wilsonii'. Some are dwarf, some full size. Fruitless can be deceiving, many can some years produce some fruit but not in an abundance as regular olive trees. All do drop a lot of foliage (leaves) at various times. Roots are shallow and can lift concrete driveways if planted too close to the driveway. Need to be 10 feet or more away. They are a nice looking tree and can be shaped easily.
You can google the names of any of the above mentioned trees to see their characteristic features.

[HX_Guy]

Didnt know there were so many different kinds. Looks like the type that Moon Valley Nurseries sells is the "Wilsonii" variety.

https://www.moonvalleynurseries.com/...ruitless-olive

[LBTRS]

I have a Swan Hill Fruitless Olive and I wish all my trees were these things. Super strong and grow well.

[MGS4EVER]

I agree with LBTRS regarding Swan Hill. I have 4. The two in front I "poodle" so the front of my house can still be seen, and the back 2 are left unpruned. All I have to do with those is prune the bottom branches (rarely) to give the area a little depth. These are planted in front of a western exposure window and they shade the room nicely.

The front olives that I "poodle" are also wonderful trees. They have never broke, fell over, or caused any damage. The "poodling" is a real pain in the ass, but I bought a pole trimmer and I do it myself.

These trees are VERY SLOW GROWING. I mean, really slow. My trees are 18 years old. They are big now, but it took them years to get to where they are now. In the first years they did sometimes get little olive fruits but they never did anything. They were clusters about the size of my little finger.

These trees do shed litter all the time.

Another great tree I wish I had planted more of are Mulgas. Lots of litter, but they come in second to the olives for durability.

[wit-nit]

Outstanding Fruitless Varieties...
As the popularity of olive trees in the home landscape rose, smaller, fruitless varieties were developed. Since 1978, "Majestic Beauty" has been a favorite non-fruiting olive, suitable for hot, dry regions. It features an airy, fluffy appearance, and the National Gardening Association calls it the most barren of the fruitless olives. "Swan Hill" is not only barren but pollen-free. Dwarf varieties, such as "Little Ollie" and "Skylark Dwarf," make good patio container plants. Of the fruitless trees, "Bonita" and "Wilsonii" are the likeliest to bear small fruit crops. All will thrive in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 to 11.
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/nonfru...ees-59290.html

[patrick85395]

Between my two homes I have 11 or 12 Swan Hill olives. They're great tree, they don't fruit, they do well in our scorching Summers, and they're beautiful. I'm about to sell my home and I plan to dig up at least two of the ones in my landscape so I can move them to my next property.

[Dewey59]

Those of you who do have the Swan Hill variety, can you tell me where you got them? Seems like most nurseries in the PHX area sell the Wilsonii variety.

[MalteseJane]

I have 3 swan hill olive trees. They are beautiful but hard to find. My landscaper found them for me.

https://deserthorizonnursery.com/pla...wan-hill-olive

This is a beautiful nursery in Queen Creek. Nicer than Moon. Moon does not have the Swan Hill.

There used to be a tree farm along 303 who had them but they don't exist anymore or the farm changed hands.

[MalteseJane]

Originally Posted by Dewey59

Those of you who do have the Swan Hill variety, can you tell me where you got them? Seems like most nurseries in the PHX area sell the Wilsonii variety.

Yes it is very hard to get them. They are a lot more expensive. When I got mine, my landscaper found them for me and he was the one who recommended them to me.

Try :
https://deserthorizonnursery.com/pla...wan-hill-olive

This is a huge beautiful nursery in Queen Creek worth the drive.