We all know that olives are a commercial crop, one with a great deal of romance attached to them because of their history. But there are other reasons for growing olives in addition to profit and you don’t need an orchard to appreciate them - just one specimen can be charming in a garden where beauty is the prime concern.
Plant olives in a sunny spot. It’s a case of the sunnier and drier the better, although they will grow happily in any well drained and reasonably sunny site. Their ability to withstand drought is legendary so if you want a handsome foliage tree which will grow without any fuss even when there is a prolonged summer drought, Olea ‘Rakino’ is a perfect choice.
The silvery and blue theme is very restful in a garden and it’s easy to achieve this with Olea ‘Rakino’ and other silver plants such as Astelia ‘Silver Spears’, regarded by some as about the best silver foliage plant of all, lavenders and blue flowered Plumbago ‘Royal Cape’, deep blue Dichroa ‘Blue Sapphires’ and Pride of Madeira, Echium fastuosum. Another idea is to mix other handsome evergreen fruiting plants such as Meyer lemon and Feijoa ‘Wiki Tu’ with Olea ‘Rakino’.
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Schemes & Themes
using Liddle Wonder Plants