Native Olive

Not currently on treebate, even though it definately qualifies. Call them to add it before claiming.

Olea paniculata, is our own Aussie native olive and edible raw.  excellent food for birds too. The tree grows up to be a tall, handsome rainforest cousin of the regular olive, giving you big, dense shade that's better than any beach umbrella.

It produces stacks of little blue-black berries that are a favourite snack for many birds.  So, you get a fast-growing, low-water tree, and the local wildlife gets a feed.  Very tough  and drought tolerant once settled in, which is what you want in a Perth garden.

Soil: This plant is pretty adaptable, but it must have well-drained soil. It naturally grows near watercourses in rainforests but needs the drainage to thrive. It handles sandy or loamy soils well.

pH: It's quite flexible, handling slightly acidic to neutral soils, with a preferred range of text{pH 5.5 to 7.5}.

Sunlight:

Young Plants: Appreciates some protection (filtered sun) when young, as it's a 'pioneer species' that starts under a canopy.

Established Trees: Prefers full sun to partial shade once established to get that fast growth happening.

Water: It is moderately drought-tolerant once its roots have settled in. However, to get good, healthy, quick growth, it benefits from regular watering during dry spells, especially through hot Perth summers.

Climate: It naturally occurs in subtropical rainforests but is also frost tolerant when mature. It thrives in climates with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers (like a Mediterranean climate).

Growth: It is a fast pioneer species and can grow into a tall, bushy tree (up to 30m, but more commonly 8-15m in cultivation).

In short, give it a sunny spot, plenty of room, and make sure the soil doesn't hold water like a bathtub!

Native Olive, Olea paniculata, Aussie native tree, wildlife tree, shade tree Perth.