Artificial Olive Trees

Artificial olive trees are the most-specified faux specimen in interior design — silver-green foliage, an open airy canopy and a gnarled multi-stem trunk that carries the whole illusion. Faux olives suit restaurants, hotel entrances, showrooms and sunlit domestic corners where a living olive would sulk, and they anchor almost every warm-minimal and Mediterranean scheme built in the last decade.

What is the most realistic artificial olive tree?

The one with a real wood trunk and two-tone leaves. Olive foliage is grey-green on the upper surface and near-silver underneath, and the shimmer the species is known for comes from seeing both surfaces at once as the branches move — a faux olive printed in one flat green misses the defining feature of the tree. The second tell is the trunk: real olives are multi-stemmed, fissured and asymmetric, so a straight, evenly wrapped pole reads wrong from any distance. Real-wood-trunk models cost more and earn it wherever the tree is seen from under three metres.

Do artificial olive trees work outdoors?

On covered patios, terraces and courtyards, yes — and in Canada that is often the only way to have one at all, since a living olive will not overwinter outdoors here. Two things decide whether an outdoor faux olive holds up: UV-stabilised foliage, which resists the fading and embrittlement ordinary indoor foliage develops within a season of direct sun, and a weighted base, because an open canopy on a slim trunk catches wind. See UV Resistant & Outdoor Safe, and Artificial Olive Trees Canada for the Canadian-shipped range.

How to choose the right size

Olive is a wide tree for its height, so the binding constraint is usually floor space rather than ceiling. A 4 to 5 ft potted olive works on a console or beside a sofa. At 6 to 7 ft — the size most homes should be looking at — allow roughly a metre of clear diameter. From 8 ft the canopy typically spreads 1.2 to 1.5 m and needs a room that can absorb it: a double-height living space, a restaurant floor, a lobby. Above 10 ft olives become architectural and belong in Large Artificial Trees.

Frequently asked questions

How do we clean an artificial olive tree?

Dust the two-tone leaves regularly with a soft brush or a vacuum on low suction, brushing in the direction the leaves naturally hang so you don't bend them backward. A cool hairdryer on low airflow reaches dust in tight branch clusters near the trunk. Wipe a real-wood trunk with a dry or barely damp cloth rather than soaking it. See our cleaning guide for the full method, including how often to repeat it.

Does an olive tree arrive ready to display?

It ships in sections and needs assembly — the trunk in one or more pieces plus separate branch clusters that slot into marked points, then need fanning out by hand to open the canopy and remove creasing from transit. Olive's open, airy form benefits from taking the time to space branches unevenly rather than symmetrically, since that's part of what makes the silhouette read as real. See our unboxing and shaping guide.

Does an olive tree come with a planter?

Some products in this collection include a planter and some ship as tree only — check the individual product page rather than assuming either way. Where a planter is included, it's specified in the title and product details. If sourcing a container separately, olive's open canopy on a relatively slim trunk needs a base with real weight to it, not just a decorative pot, particularly at 6 ft and above.

How does an artificial olive tree compare to a living one?

A living olive needs bright, near-direct light and will not tolerate a typical Canadian winter outdoors, so indoors it often thins out in an average room and outdoors it needs to be brought in or written off for the season. A faux olive holds its silhouette and two-tone colour regardless of light or season, sheds no leaves, and needs no watering or feeding. What it doesn't offer is growth or change over time — it looks the same in year five as on day one.

What does shipping and returns look like for an olive tree?

Olive trees ship boxed by height and trunk configuration, generally as one or more long parcels for larger sizes. Measure your delivery route, including doorways and any stairwell turns, before the tree arrives. General shipping and returns terms follow the rest of the store; check the site's shipping and returns page for current specifics, and inspect the trunk and foliage against the packaging before discarding it, in case an exchange is needed.