|
Fri, May 7, 10 at 11:55
| Anyone have any advice on picking a good olive tree (or 2) to grow in Alabama? And where to get them, if locally, in Lee Co.
Thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by jim_in_huntsville_al 7a (My Page) on Fri, May 7, 10 at 13:19
| I recently (in early April) planted a locally-grown Tea Olive that I bought from a nursery here in Huntsville and it seems to be doing real well. It lost a number of leaves the first few weeks but has put out a lot of new growth and seems to be taking off. We had a Tea Olive at our former home in S.C. that we really enjoyed (the fragrance was terrific all summer and it looked great and was easy to maintain.) |
|
- Posted by tsmith2579 7B (My Page) on Fri, May 7, 10 at 23:00
| Are you talking about real, edible olives (Olea europaea) or tea olive (osmanthus fragrans)? As I recall the Vine and Olive colony in Demopolis, AL failed because the olive was not adapted to west Alabama soil. The soil in Marengo county and east along Hwy 80 has a layer of chalk under the soil. I believe Lee county is included in the chalk underlayment. See the link below to get the phone number of the Auburn Cooperative Extension Services. They should be able to answer all of your questions. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Auburn Cooperative Extension Agent
|
- Posted by moccasinlanding z8B AL/ z5b MA (My Page) on Sat, May 8, 10 at 2:20
| Tsmith, I'd find it very interesting to plant a real, edible olive tree or two if necessary for fruiting. In Mobile. I've already planted a satsuma and 2 kumquats, about 5 or 6 kiwi. And I'd love to get the fruiting passion vine. It seems to be hard to find. |
|
- Posted by tsmith2579 7B (My Page) on Sat, May 8, 10 at 23:31
| Moccasinlanding, you are out of the chalk layer in Mobile so you might be more successful and Mobile county has a much more Mediterranean type climate than does Montgomery or Demopolis. They had small Olea europaea (edible) for sale at the recent Bham Botanical Gardens sale. Myer's nursery has some pot of miniature olive in Pelham today. I am assuming the miniature plants make edible olives as well. |
|
- Posted by moccasinlanding z8B AL/ z5b MA (My Page) on Sun, May 9, 10 at 13:50
| Thank you so much for that information. I will see what I can do to add olives to our garden here. Did you ever take a look at my photo albums of the gardens surrounding the Villa Borgo Tre Querce in Italy? I was most impressed with the similarity of plants in their garden and those in Mobile. I'' give you the link below to my Webshots albums. Look for the album about Italy. What they do with star jasmine is outstanding! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Moccasin's Webshots Albums
|
| I am also interested in growing an olive tree of the edible variety here in Mobile. Is there a place that sells them in my neck of the woods? Also, do cherry trees of the edible variety grow in Mobile? |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Alabama Gardening Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.