Do you want a tree for your desert landscape that grows slow, nearly litter-free and loves the southwest desert? Then the Fruitless Olive is the tree for your landscape. The Fruitless Olive or Olea europaea is perhaps my favorite tree for the southwest desert landscape. There is no need to worry, these Olive trees are not messy and produce little to no fruit throughout the year. A wonderful tree for either a lawn area or stand alone tree in the desert landscape.

The two fruitless olives I am recommending are Olea europaea ‘Swan Hill’ and Olea europaea ‘Wilsonii’. These trees grow slowly, typically to 25-30 ft. tall and as wide. These trees have deep green leaves, bear little to no fruit and no pollen which is a big plus for allergy sufferers. They are cold hardy down to 15 degrees F and extremely drought tolerant. It is important to remember that a slow-growing tree is far superior to a fast-growing tree for the desert landscape. Fast growing trees produce many problems including excessive tree trimming and invasive root systems that can be costly and create other issues in the landscape. Water this tree using drip irrigation if possible and always water thoroughly and infrequently as a rule of thumb.

Selecting a tree for the southwest desert landscape can be challenging, so it is important to learn as much as possible about the plant before making your decision. The trees and plants I will suggest are from my experience in landscape horticulture that comes from planting and maintaining them myself in the southwest desert landscape. The fruitless Olive is perhaps my favorite evergreen tree for the desert landscape especially in the Las Vegas Valley. If you have any questions please email me and I will get right back with you.