How Big Are Olive Trees? | Full Size Breakdown by Location

An olive tree planted in the ground typically reaches 20 to 30 feet tall with an equal spread, while potted trees top out around 5 to 6 feet under regular pruning.

A century-old olive tree shading a Tuscan hillside and a five-foot potted specimen on a California patio are the same species, but their sizes tell opposite stories. The difference isn’t genetics — it’s where the tree lives and how the gardener treats it. Whether you’re planting one in the yard or keeping one in a pot, the mature size depends on a few predictable factors you can control from the start.

Olive Tree Size: In-Ground vs. Container

An olive tree planted in the ground reaches its full potential because nothing restricts the root system. A container-grown tree lives in a managed space, so the gardener effectively decides the final size through pruning and pot size. The range between the two outcomes is enormous, and knowing which camp you’re in determines everything else.

How Big Do In-Ground Olive Trees Get?

Most standard olive trees planted in the ground grow 20 to 30 feet tall with a spread of 20 to 30 feet. In ideal native conditions, some outliers push to 40 or even 50 feet, though that’s rare outside the Mediterranean basin. The tree reaches its maximum height after roughly 15 years.

Young olive trees grow faster than established ones. In the first few years under good conditions, they add 12 to 24 inches of new growth annually. Once mature, that rate slows to 2 to 12 inches per year.

Size Differences by Variety

Not every olive tree grows the same. Choosing the right variety for your space matters as much as planting location.

• Manzanillo: 30 ft tall, 25 ft wide — medium, broad spreading crowns
• Sevillano: 25 to 35 ft tall — medium to large frame
• Mission: Medium to large, grows significantly tall in open settings
• Bambalina and Tolly’s Upright: 20 to 33 ft tall by 13 to 20 ft wide — excellent hedging choices
• Garden Harvest: Broad, spreading habit, best as a large centerpiece specimen

How Big Are Potted Olive Trees?

An olive tree in a container stays far smaller than a ground-planted tree. Most potted specimens reach 5 to 6 feet tall, and the gardener can keep them at 3 feet with consistent pruning. A 36 cm (14-inch) pot supports a tree up to about 6 feet tall. The tree will not outgrow the pot and the gardener’s pruners — it becomes a large bonsai that you can shape however you like.

How Long Does an Olive Tree Take to Reach Full Size?

A grafted olive tree reaches its mature height after about 15 years. It starts fruiting 2 to 4 years after planting. A tree grown from seed takes 5 to 12 years or longer to fruit and grows more slowly those first years. Young trees in good soil with full sun can put on 12 to 24 inches per year; once established, that slows considerably.

The oldest known olive trees live more than 2,000 years, with trunk circumferences exceeding 40 feet. But those are ancient survivors — a garden olive tree hitting its full height by year 15 is normal for a healthy specimen.

Pruning Controls the Final Size

Pruning guidance for potted olive trees shows that you can keep an olive tree at a manageable size indefinitely. The tree tolerates aggressive cutting and sprouts back even from ground level. For potted trees, aim for 3 to 5 horizontal scaffold branches starting at about 3 feet from the ground. Remove crossing branches, inward-growing wood, and vigorous upward shoots that won’t fruit.

Timing matters: prune mature trees in late spring or summer for better yield. Repot container trees in late winter or spring before new growth starts. Young trees should see minimal pruning unless you’re shaping the framework, because heavy cuts slow their early development.

A tree chopped to the ground will regrow. Pruning an in-ground tree every few years keeps it at 20 feet or less, but if you stop, it will resume pushing toward its genetic maximum.

Olive Tree Root System and Space Requirements

Olive roots are shallow, horizontal, and not aggressive. They spread as wide as the canopy and rarely damage foundations or pavement. That makes them safe for planting near structures and excellent candidates for large containers. Site in-ground trees a minimum of 20 feet apart, and plant the root ball slightly higher than the surrounding grade — olive trees cannot tolerate sitting in wet soil.

If you need to move a mature tree, recovery takes roughly one year per inch of trunk diameter. A four-inch trunk means four years before the tree fully re-establishes.

Olive Tree Size: Checklist for Deciding Where to Plant

Before picking a spot for your olive tree, run through these questions to match the tree’s size to your space.

• Is the planting site clear of structures and paved areas? In-ground trees need 20+ feet of open canopy space.
• Do you need a harvestable tree or just an ornamental? Fruiting slows height growth, so a producing tree may stay shorter.
• Is your soil well-drained and full-sun? Poor soil and shade both reduce final height.
• Are you comfortable pruning every year? Potted trees need annual shaping; in-ground trees need attention every few years.
• Is the variety suited to your space? A Manzanillo needs more room than a Bamabaling hedge variety.

An olive tree is one of the few plants that works equally well as a 50-foot landscape anchor or a 3-foot patio accent. The size you get depends entirely on where you put it and how you treat it.

A potted tree stays small because the container limits the roots and you control the shape with pruners. A ground-planted tree grows to its full potential, but even that can be kept shorter with regular cuts. Either way, the tree adapts to the space you give it, and it will live for decades without outgrowing its welcome.

Olive trees are nontoxic to people and pets, safe for pots near patios, and their roots don’t threaten foundations.