- Sweet olive shrubs are hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 8 through 11. If you are attempting to grow it outside of these zones it may not flower. In the colder areas of zone 8, grow it next to a brick or masonry wall that will radiate the day's accumulated heat throughout the evening. Another spot for it is on the southeast side of the house, where it will be a bit more sheltered, according to horticultural specialists with Texas A&M University's AgriLife Extension.
- Hot afternoon sun can stress the sweet olive. Some plants, when under stress, will not flower but instead put that energy toward trying to survive the stressful event. You may need to move the shrub to a more suitable location if its baking in the afternoon sun. A bonus to moving it into shade late in the day is that it will require less water. Once established, the sweet olive is somewhat drought-tolerant. Sudden changes in soil moisture content may prompt it to bloom, so experiment with different watering schedules.
- The sweet olive prefers a slightly acid soil. Consider applying a 3-inch layer of pine needle mulch around the shrub. Keep the mulch 6 inches from the shrub's bark and spread it out to the plant's widest part. The pine needles will break down and help acidify the soil. A fertilizer labeled for acid-loving plants, such as rhododendrons or azaleas, applied in early spring, will also help acidify the soil and promote blooms.
- Sweet olive shrubs that have been overpruned may not bloom for several years afterward. It generally doesn't require heavy pruning, just a light shaping. The shrub blooms on new wood so prune it as soon as you can get outside in the spring. Encouraging new wood increases the chances that the plant will bloom. The exceptions to this pruning schedule are the two spring-blooming species, O. delavayi and O. americanus, which should be pruned after flowering.
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