I thought I'd post this here in hopes of getting some input. Do sweet olives do well in containers provided they receive the proper amount of sun/shade? I had 3 (about 4 ft. tall) in the ground and lost all three to the salty storm surge from Gustav/Ike, so I thought I'd put some in containers up on the porch away from the flood waters we get every year. They will get sufficient sun there and sufficient shade.
Do they do well in pots? I plan on getting 3 of them about 3-4 ft. tall and want to pot them. I know they do beautifully in the ground here (barring storm surge), but I don't know about potting them. Do they need large containers or do they like to be root bound?
Thanks.
Kaye C
Sweet Olive - Potting Question
Kaye, wish I could help you with this............mine are all in the ground. I would think if you got a large enough pot it would work........check the size of your root ball and up it maybe 6" in dia? Sorry your's got flooded out. There is one at the base of our deck that is in bloom right now and if there was a way to bottle that scent it would be way up there in ranking and the wind carries the scent for yards. Here is a pic taken this morning. I have to admit there is not a lot of care taken with this one as far as feeding, etc.
Yep. One of my many favorites, have to have one to bring IN the house, even tho it's messy. Have 1 on the back deck in a pot and at least 4 planted in the yard. The one in the pot will just not grow as fast, and needs yearly repotting because of the surface roots- I do keep mine in a 2- 5 gallon pot and when they get too big I puit in the ground. They are sturdy plants for me here in 7b or 8a (wherever I am) even potted. BTW, I don't keep them in the house for long--just when blooming in ugly weather.
Vi
Wow! - responses from 2 gardeners from Barnsville GA!
I like the idea of bringing it inside once in a while. Sounds great!
I believe I will go ahead and pot the new ones I am getting and put them on the porch and bring them in whatever room is closest to where they are on the porch when I want to bring them in. I know they do ok here in the winter - I was just concerned about potting.
Thanks for your input - I love these plants and it broke my heart when the flood killed them. They were about 4-5 ft. tall and bloomed beautifully. Unfortunately, I lost 5 Little Gem magnolias that were about 7-8 ft. tall. The salty flood water killed them too. They smelled beautiful! I loved the smell of those magnolias.
All these were planted after my house was built after Katrina when I lost every plant I had plus the house, so I'm sort of downhearted about losing this much after such a short period of time. However, when you live in a hurricane-prone area, you have to be prepared to give up some things.
Thanks again.
kaye c