Manzanillo Olive

Olea europaea 'Manzanillo', is a picturesque, high quality olive tree with a billowing crown and a gnarled trunk that make it one of the most desirable plants for dry climates. These ancient trees have been grown since ancient times and thrive in the heat. Believed to be a native of the Mediterranean, the drought tolerant Manzanillo Olive can live for hundreds of years, enduring droughts, heat and poor soil conditions. Make this beautiful olive tree the focal point of any yard landscape. Install landscape lighting in and around the Olea europaea olive tree to exhibit the beautiful multi-trunk features and attractive gray green and silver color foliage. In the spring, clusters of tiny yellow-white flowers produce fruit that ripen in the fall. In fact, Olea europaea is famous for its rich black olives that can be pickled or pressed for oil.

This Manzanillo Olive tree does have a slow growth rate and young trees may take time to develop substance. At Moon Valley Nurseries, we professionally grow and nurture Manzanillo Olive trees on our nearly 100-acre plantation located in the hills between Temecula and Hemet. Our trees have grown their entire lives in the hot and dry inland climate, making them a far superior choice for landscape use when compared to olive trees from the central valley region.

The tight growth pattern creates a fuller crown, making the Manzanillo Olive a very popular shade tree in Southern California. A medium sized tree, it can grow up 30 feet with a spread almost as wide, so it is ideal for use a canopy tree for shade or as a silhouette against structures, complementing most any style architecture, especially California Spanish-style architectures.

Easy to care for and very resilient, the evergreen Manzanillo Olive prefers deep rich soil, but is able to tolerate poor, stony, shallow soils too, so feel free to plant Olea europaea on a variety of landscape styles. Plant this beautiful drought tolerant olive tree on your landscape and generations upon generations will be able to enjoy the many benefits of the gracious and oh so tasty Manzanillo olive.