Frosted olive tree

I have a youngish olive tree, but am just on the edge of the climate range for growing them. In past years it has flowered and fruited very well (the black birds love them).
Last winter the temperature went down to -15C and we had well below freezing temperatures for quite an extended period, which is very unusual.
A few weeks later the olive tree dropped all its leaves and I was worried that I was going to lose it altogether. However it has now grown new leaves, but these are sparser than normal, with some branches having none at the tips etc.

I would welcome advice on whether I should trim off the worst parts or leave it alone. If trimming is recommended, when should this be done?

I'd leave it alone for a little while yet, maybe prune out what is obviously dead at the end of the summer.

Very surprised you got so cold last winter - most of western Europe had an abnormally mild winter last winter (up here in northeast England, the coldest was -4°C).

Resin

Yes, I think we did a weather swap last winter LOL Mind you it's 32C today and just yummy :)

Thanks very much for your advice. I think there are new leaves appearing each day. It's so reassuring to have an opinion from someone else.
All the best
philomel

My olive tree lives outside all year. Last year it had fruit (if you call the little hard things fruit!)
I don't prune it going into winter and let winter kill bits for me. Then wait till after the last frost and start reshaping.
Give it a feed then to as if you feed early its growth will be too soft to survive a frost or will get burned and grow ugly blistered leaves.
Mine never see's the sun as it looks good where it is but its not right ..... wet and dark... oh well!

Mike

Thanks for your input Mike. .....but what a shame that your olive tree never sees the sun, that's what they live for. Is it in a pot or in the ground?

Its in the ground...

Here it is getting a frost this spring...poor thing... on the bright side it gets heat from the house and is protected from cold winds there so there is a bright side!

Mike

The leaves look much healthier than those on my tree at the moment LOL, which is on a fairly exposed SW slope. Full sun, full blast of the prevailing wind.... though there are some lime trees to break the wind a little.

Ahh cold wind....... kills evergreens more than cold alone... they don't like the wet in winter either...
In some nurseries they grow them in raised beds so that over winter they stay free draining.

Mike

Hmmmm, usually our wind is warm - but last winter was a bit of a shock to everyone, not just the olive. We are on really stiff clay - the kind you can slice into a brick and put straight on a potters wheel after rain, or build a wall with when it's dry - but the olive is on a slope so the soil drains well enough there. Cistus thrive, but lavender struggles (shame, I love lavender). I have contrived a few extreme slopes where the lavender is happy fortunately.

I guess it just a case of time before it all greens up... I think thats the fun i get from growing border line hardy plants and trying to get them to grow well.

Mike

Yes, always a great sense of achievement when you have success with things you "shouldn't"

I hope your olive tree is happy again. I have a three year old one in a pot, but it is only small so I've not thought about planting it out yet. I do give it a trim at the end of the winter though as it gets a few twigs with no leaves on. It smartens it up and makes it grow bushier.

I saw the largest outdoor grown olive tree in Britain yesterday in the Chelsea Physic garden. The place was also snided out with Harlequin ladybirds which was worrying.

Thanks Pat, yes, it's looking happier all the time - though I think I'll need to trim some of the top branches and some spindly lower ones eventually. I understand that baby olive trees are more tender than more mature ones, so don't hurry to get yours in the ground. This one was there when we moved in and is now about 4m tall. I'm so happy it survived the worst winter here for about 14 years according to the locals.

I was really interested to hear that the Physic Garden is overrun with Harlequin ladybirds so looked them up http://www.harlequin-survey.org/
As you say, worrying! I'm now off to try and see how my area of France is affected.

Also interested in the term "snided out with". I was born in Chester and have always used the term "snying with" but people down south (where I spent most of my life) didn't know what it meant. Great to see someone using a form of the expression :)