Pay attention to hardy varieties
When buying an olive willow, make sure that you are purchasing a hardy variety. Only these can be planted outdoors and left outside all year round.
also read
- Most olive willows are hardy, some are evergreen
- Not all olive pastures are suitable as a hedge
- The fruits of the olive willow are edible
In principle, older, well-ingrown olive willows tolerate frost better than freshly planted young plants. These are not yet completely hardy and should be protected from frost in the first few years outdoors. Cover the floor area with:
- Bark mulch
- leaves
- straw
- ripe compost
- Lawn clippings
Do not grow hardy olive willows in the bucket
Some olive willows that are not hardy cannot tolerate severe frosts for long periods of time. They can only survive down to minus 8 degrees for a very short time.
It is better to plant these olive willows in tubs. Then they can be hibernated more easily. The bucket is best placed in a cool greenhouse or conservatory in winter. It is important that the plants are very bright. A wintering temperature between five and ten degrees is ideal.
Don't forget to water your evergreen shrubs regularly, especially if they are wintered quite warm. The ornamental shrubs evaporate a lot of moisture through their leaves. Leaf-shedding olive willows need less water. But they are not allowed to dry out completely either.
Put olive willow as a hedge plant
If you want to plant a hedge made of olive willow, you can only buy varieties that are hardy. In addition, it makes sense to protect the plants from excessive frost.
Mulch blankets are suitable for this, with which the soil around the plant is covered.
Some of the actually evergreen varieties lose their leaves in extreme cold. There is nothing to be concerned about. The bushes sprout again in spring. The foliage is preserved in mild winters.
Tips
Some varieties of the Olive willows are edible. At first they develop white flowers that give off a very strong, sweet scent. The flowers produce red fruits that have a pleasantly sour taste and can be enjoyed raw or as a compote or jelly.
