GARDEN FANATIC: Olives, from the desert to the sea

“Honor to a Spaniard ... is as real a thing as water, wine or olive oil.”

— Ernest Hemingway

“Yeah, make that a double, Nick... with two olives and a twist.”

— Anonymous

From the desert to the sea, the olive tree has become an icon of Southern California. And rightfully so. The beauty of its gnarled trunks and willow-like foliage has been appreciated for centuries. The olive was brought to Mexico by Spaniards and then on to Alta California for its oil.

The olive tree is remarkably long-lived — some of the original trees planted by missionaries are still in existence. Under favorable conditions and decades of growth, it may attain an ultimate height of 25-35 feet and be nearly as wide. Large, old olive trees are popular landscape trees due to the near certainty of their survival in transplanting.

The olive has a wide range of soil adaptation but requires good drainage. It has no special cultural requirements, but are most lush when growing in deep, rich soil. Remarkably resistant to the heat and drought of the desert, olives also grow well in coastal areas like Laguna.

In a landscape, olives require thoughtful pruning. The removal of fruiting branches will reduce or eliminate the fruit, which may stain paving and damage underplantings if not removed. In addition, the fruit may be reduced by spraying hormones when flowers first appear. Thinning will also reveal interesting branch structure.

The flowers of fruiting varieties are small and white and are borne only on growth of the previous season. The fruit ranges from apple- to football-shaped, and when fully ripe, the color is reddish-purple to black. Without processing, the olives are inedible because of a bitter substance contained in the flesh, which gives a most unpleasant taste. This substance is removed in processing or pickling treatments.

Because of late blooming and the amount of heat necessary to mature, the fruit requires a long, hot growing season. It does not ripen until late fall, even in the hottest regions (ripening season extends from October to Dec. 15). Commercial culture is restricted to the warm interior valleys of California.

There are several pickling processes, the principal being the California ripe-olive process, which turns out a uniform dark-colored fruit with a rich, nutty flavor and high food value. Successions of lye treatments and washings remove the bitterness, and aeration provides uniform dark color.

The olives in commercial groves may also be grown in a garden. “Sevillano” is originally from Spain, and its oak-like form may reach 35 feet in height. “Ascolana,” introduced from Italy, grows to 30 feet and produces a large fruit. Both varieties are sometimes called Queen olives. “Swan Hill” is fruitless and reaches 30 feet. “Little Ollie” is a large shrub up to 12 feet, excellent as a hedge or screen, and nearly fruitless.

Black Scale is the major pest that afflicts olives in Laguna. The insect can usually be controlled by spraying horticultural oils like Ultra Fine during the summer. Knots or swelling may appear as the result of a bacterial disease. Although not usually fatal to the tree, these knots should be removed.

I have always found that a beverage or meal is enhanced by an olive — or 20. It was with great delight that I discovered that Catharine’s parents served their own home-grown olives during the holidays. Those olives have ensured that I haven’t missed a meal at the Wrights’ for nearly 20 years. See you next time.