"Robert" wrote in message
...
In message .com, Totty
writes

Duncan Heenan wrote:
Can't answer this, but I'm interested to know the answer, because I
am about
to plant 2 olives on the Isle of Wight. Though we get only mild
frosts, we
do get some. I thought olives were able to take mild frosts. How do
the ones
in Mediterranean mountain areas get on, where they do get some frosts
and
are not protected?

I think Sacha is right. We do get light frosts, but even in inland
areas where the temperature drops to 15º below, the olives survive. We
don't seem to get wet and cold at the same time.


We live on a hill top in S Devon and whilst we are relatively frost free
it has been cold enough to freeze the surface of the pond on several
occasions this winter - this does not appear to have damaged our olive. We
have had it for four or five years and it lives outside all year in a
large planter.

--
Robert

Thanks for your replies. We were told when we bought the tree three years
ago that it would be hardy since it was reared in Surrey. However during
its first winter here, it took quite a knocking during the winter and we
thought we'd lost it. With tlc it recovered but because of its near death
experience we decided to protect it and now the uncovered top half looks
very happy.
I should have thought that in a normal garden it wouldn't need protection
but ours is next to a river and we get hit very hard by frosts.
Incidentally last year we had a good crop of miniature olives despite the
poor summer.