From a purely external point of view, the olive herb does not bear the slightest resemblance to an olive tree. It's not even a tree, but a semi-woody shrub that blooms yellow in summer. But the naming is no accident. The herb is edible and tastes like olives. Here's how to grow it at home.

Olive herb likes it warm and sunny

Shrub for garden and tub

The olive herb, often also called green cypress herb, is hardy. It can therefore be planted out permanently. The densely branched crown, which is covered with numerous mini flowers in summer, also comes into its own in a bucket. But in this case, the coming winter must also be considered, because a pot specimen must surely overwinter.

Find the best place

The olive herb feels good when it finds the following conditions at its location:

  • plenty of sun and warmth
  • well drained, rocky or sandy soil
  • which is also calcareous and low in nutrients

The herb bed, where the plant harmonises wonderfully with lavender, sage and rosemary, is a priority. Olive herb is also well placed in the upper area of a rock garden.

Plant the Mediterranean herb

You can get a young plant commercially or by propagating it yourself. For example by sowing, cuttings or division. Plant in spring on a frost-free day. Keep a distance of at least 30 cm from other plants, because the olive herb will increase in size.

Olive herb does not like wet soil. A drainage layer of gravel or expanded clay (€19.73) is essential in the bucket. Loamy soil in the garden must first be loosened with sand.

Care of the olive herb

Of course, the olive herb must be watered well after planting and until it is fully rooted. After that, Santolina viridis, as the botanical name goes, requires little care.

  • water in the bed only in long-lasting drought
  • Let the soil dry in the bucket from time to time
  • only fertilize during the growing season
  • once a month with liquid fertilizer
  • only cut after the second year of growth

tips

If you have not only chosen the olive herb as an ornamental plant, you should rather provide it with compost or another organic fertilizer. This is how healthy organic branches get into the cooking pot.

beginning of the harvest season

The olive herb is edible and tastes like pickled olives. Be cautious about harvesting immediately after planting. The plant needs its leaves to gain energy for new growth. You can only cut off more and more for the cooking pot as the number of new shoots increases.

Category:

Vegetable garden