Q.Olive trees for Bryn Mawr PA zone 7
Where can I purchase an olive red for ground and/or container in my 19010 zone 7 area? Thank you
Decorative or fruit producing olive tree would be great! We travel to my husbands
cousins farm in Italy late October every year to help his family harvest the olives!!!
Growing olives in zone 7 will be challenging but doable if you are willing to take steps to protect it in cold weather. Start looking at record cold temperatures in a city near you to give you an idea of what you might be facing and draft a protection strategy that will keep the tree's air temperature above 20 F. Long spells at 20 F, more than several hours, will also damage many olive trees. I've provided links to 2 articles. One discusses the more cold tolerant olive varieties. The second one gives reasons why olives can't be grown in zone 7. It seems that it can be done if provide adequate protection. Now that many of us have experienced a Polar Vortex and that days of spring-like air come mid-winter, winter temps seem less predictable. This wrecks havoc with any tree that flowers in spring.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/gardening-by-zone/zone-7/zone-7-olive-trees.htm
https://olivetreegrowers.com/blog.php?view=detail&id=114
