Growing olives in British Columbia should be seen as a grand and wacky experiment. It is not for the risk averse—we do not guarantee that you will be able to grow trees in your area, nor do we guarantee that the olive trees we sell will survive a harsh winter. That said, olive trees will grow in the warmer Zone 8* areas of the Lower Mainland, Southern Vancouver Island and the Southern Gulf Islands. Since 2009, the Saturna Olive Consortium has supplied varieties that are proven to grow under these Zone 8 conditions.

*What constitutes a warmer zone 8 area is ultimately a judgment call on the grower/gardener’s part. In the case of olives, the warmer Zone 8 areas are usually spots with a southern exposure and protection from chilling winds (especially north wind).