Plant an olive tree in your garden

The History of the Olive Tree

Eden horticulturist Shirley Walker shares her passion for olive trees and explains their fascinating history, unique qualities, and how they can be grown at home.

My fascination with olives started many years ago while visiting Paxos, one of the Ionian Islands. I was immediately drawn to the beauty and timeless character of these ancient trees, which were introduced to the island by the Venetians during the 15th century. However, the story of the olive tree reaches much further back and it has remained one of the most meaningful symbols of the ancient world.

Olive trees have been closely connected with daily life in the eastern Mediterranean for more than 6,000 years, dating back to the earliest civilizations. Originally, the olive existed as a wild, thorny shrub in the Levant region, including modern-day Syria and Lebanon. Through centuries of careful cultivation, selection, and improvement, it developed into the productive tree that is widely grown today.

Today, the olive tree is an essential feature of Mediterranean landscapes and one of the region’s most valuable agricultural plants. Around 800 million olive trees are currently cultivated worldwide, providing fruit, oil, and cultural significance for generations.

Botanical Features of the Olive Tree

In spring, olive trees become covered with tiny delicate flowers that appear like small stars scattered across their silvery-green branches. Beneath their graceful canopy, many Mediterranean plants thrive, including cyclamen, poppies, field marigolds, purple viper’s bugloss, and tassel hyacinths.

As summer arrives and the Mediterranean climate becomes hot and dry, the branches begin to carry heavy clusters of olives. The fruits gradually change color as they mature, developing from bright green into deep black shades as winter approaches.

Olive trees are remarkably resilient plants. They can survive intense heat, extended periods of drought, wildfires, and even brief exposure to temperatures as low as -7°C. Their ability to endure challenging environments comes from thousands of years of adaptation to harsh climates, dry soils, and natural disturbances.

One of the most impressive characteristics of olive trees is their ability to recover after damage. Even after being affected by fire, they can often produce new growth from their base. This remarkable strength is one reason the olive tree became associated with the idea of endurance and was sometimes called the “tree of eternity.”

Ancient Olive Trees and Their Longevity

The olive grove in Eden’s Mediterranean Biome includes several mature and twisted old olive trees. However, these trees are still relatively young compared with some examples found across the Mediterranean region, where many olive trees have survived for more than 1,000 years.

Scientific studies using carbon dating have discovered ancient olive specimens in Lebanon that are believed to be several thousand years old. It is extraordinary to imagine that some of these trees have continued producing olives and providing valuable oil since ancient and even Biblical times.

The olive tree’s combination of beauty, strength, and incredible lifespan has allowed it to remain one of the most treasured plants in human history.