Olive willow is available in numerous varieties for the garden. Unfortunately, not all species are hardy. When purchasing, find out whether the olive willow you choose is hardy or not. Which type you choose depends on whether you want to keep it outside all year round or in a pot on the terrace.
How do I find out if an olive willow tree is hardy?
To find out whether an oil willow is winter-hardy, pay attention to the variety name when buying and ask specifically about winter-hardy species. In the garden, hardy varieties survive frost better, while non-hardy olive willows should be kept in pots and overwintered frost-free.
Pay attention to winter-hardy varieties
When buying an olive willow, you should make sure that you purchase a winter-hardy variety. You can only plant these outdoors and leave them outside all year round.
Basically, older, well-established olive willows tolerate frost better than freshly planted young plants. These are not yet completely hardy and should be protected from frost outdoors for the first few years. Cover the floor area with:
- Bark mulch
- Leaves
- Straw
- ripe compost
- Lawn cutting
Growing non-hardy olive trees in a bucket
Some non-hardy olive willows cannot tolerate severe frosts for long periods of time. They can only survive temperatures down to minus 8 degrees for a very short time.
It's better to plant these olive trees in containers. This makes it easier for them to overwinter. The pot is best placed in a cool greenhouse or winter garden 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 evergreen shrubs regularly, especially if they are wintered quite warmly. The ornamental shrubs evaporate a lot of moisture through their leaves. Leaf-dropping olive trees need less water. But they shouldn't dry out completely.
Use olive willow as a hedge plant
If you want to plant an oil willow hedge, you can only buy varieties that are hardy. It also makes sense to protect the plants from severe frost.
Mulch covers that cover the ground around the plant are suitable for this.
Some of the actually evergreen varieties lose their leaves when it is very cold. This is no cause for concern. The bushes sprout again in spring. In mild winters the leaf decoration remains.
Tip
Some varieties of olive willow are edible. They initially develop white flowers that have a very strong, sweet scent. The flowers produce red fruits that taste pleasantly sour and can be enjoyed raw or as compote or jelly.
