Olive tree- help please!

[Nicos]

We've brought over our olive tree from the UK
It was in a pot in the garden , sheltered by the shed.
Problem is that all it's leaves have dropped off
I don't know how old it is- but it's about 6ft high and the trunk is about 2" in diameter.
I've had it about 4 years and it was much the same size then- so it's clearly slow growing.
It's never lost it's leaves before. Is it because of the cold winter ( below -14C) - or has it basically died?
It's an Olea Europaean evergreen if that's any help.
I'm sort of hoping it's going to regrow leaves in the next few weeks.
Am I being too optomistic???

(...and nope- it wasn't protected in any way because the house was empty and we forgot all about it)

[Torreya]

Don't worry too much yet, Nico, keep it as sheltered as poss, if poss covered with fleece. To double check it's still alive, take your fingernail and v. carefully peel back a v. small piece of bark, if it's green underneath just keep nurturing it, if it's brown.......... I'd still be inclined to give it a chance, but it's not normally good news!!

[Liza]

I have one in a pot about the same size, they can cope with the low temp, but may die if the roots freeze.

Wrap the pot in bubble wrap and keep the soil dry.

They are pretty tough and you could be ok, so dont give up !

Fingers crossed and keep us up to date

[Flobalob]

- 14C !! Crikey thats artic conditions. I'm suprised you survived.

[snohare]

I have one that is about the length of my middle finger, sitting in a yoghurt pot. I got it as a freebie, about a centimeter high, and every year it loses its leaves and then comes back to life with a little more vigour, even after looking totally "dead-twiggish". This winter it has been outside in an upturned glass terrarium in temperatures down to -18, with snow up to a metre deep on top of the glass - no problems, it is looking as healthy as ever, in fact it has more leaves than when I grew it in a much warmer urban setting.
I have been operating on the basis that they don't mind cold so much as being wet (advice I got here on the Grapevine), so I kept the pot dry overwinter. Occasionally it gets some moisture from condensation on a warm sunny day, but at the moment it is almost invisible...
If you are worried about the roots freezing, you could try wrapping the pot in straw, hay or bracken, with hessian over that. It seems to have worked in Victorian times for all sorts of delicate plants, when the winters were much harsher.
Hmm...come to think of it, I wouldn't mind being nice and warm myself. It's minus 13 outside and I am out of firewood, with my usual supply of deadfall in the woods buried by snow. It's always a bad sign when you start thinking of overnighting outside to watch wildlife because it won't be that much colder than the bedroom...!

[sarraceniac]

Mine 'dies' most winters and comes back, but not 'in the next few weeks' Nicos. Usually kicks back in about mid July, may be earlier if I examined it for minute signs of life but we do tend to forget it until it re-appears. This year, strangely enough, despite the coldest winter for years, it still has some leaves on.

[Beanb]

Olive trees can withstand cold spells. But prolonged freeze will kill them. Even in Italy (where I live). Put it in the warmest/sunniest place you have it might still be alive but normally they don't shed leaves. My lemon trees do however they look terrible at the moment but will regrow.

[Nicos]

but normally they don't shed leaves..

Hmm...that's what I was thinking!!!!
So most likely frost- or waterlogged then?

I'll pop it round to the south side of the house
Thanks!

(Beanb - don't think I've welcomed you to the Vine yet!
Whereabouts are you in Italy?- we very nearly bought a house near Pisa!)

[sarraceniac]

Try googling 'olive leaves shedding'. They do lose some leaves in winter. This far north they can lose them all and I suspect that if you have had a bad winter (and apparently you have) then where you are too.

[Nicos]

Interestingly I did- and got directed to a porn site!!!!...I'm still blushing!!!

[Liza]

Interestingly I did- and got directed to a porn site!!!!...I'm still blushing!!!

Ok tea all over keyboard !

[sarraceniac]

Interestingly I did- and got directed to a porn site

Never mind excuses. I actually googled 'olive shedding leaves' then added 'in winter' in the top box and re-searched. Nothing really authoratitive but the consensus seems to be 'olives shed leaves in winter'. As I said, mine, sometimes all of them, but I aren't in Italy.

[Nicos]

Ah well- fingers crossed!
(It's just that it's the first time in 4 years it's shed them- but then again it wasn't fleeced up as usual!)
i'll let you know how it gets on!!!
(it was flipping expensive, so here's hoping!!!)

[MrsSG]

Cold Olive Trees

Hi Nicos,
I have 2 olive trees about the same size as yours and both have lost their leaves. They stand tall in large raised beds, so similar to being in a pot. I covered them with a fleece layer but I think the wind blowing it has 'chaffed' the leaves off! I too am very worried about them - they are very important to my garden design and cost a fortune, however i am hoping that all will be well as the branches are still pliable.. i was once told to hard prune them if they looked 'unwell' but am loath to do this just yet... I will wait and see. I didnt know about keeping them dry either, and may have given them a very good water at the beginning of the winter. we had -18 up here!!

Good luck Nicos!!
S