One in all my largest life accomplishments is that I’ve saved my beloved fiddle leaf fig alive for six years now. This will likely appear foolish, but when you understand how finicky these crops are, you realize this isn’t a straightforward feat. I keep in mind seeing them throughout my favourite house bloggers’ areas and I pined for considered one of my very own. They ultimately acquired widespread sufficient that they began to make common appearances at Costco. My mother graciously scooped one up for me. Now the indoor home plant development is slowly shifting. As an alternative of the fiddle leaf fig’s giant and wonderful leaves making an announcement, designers are choosing a plant with a extra delicate, understated magnificence. And that plant is the black olive tree, in any other case generally known as the Shady Girl.
All the things to Know In regards to the Black Olive Tree, aka “Shady Lady”
I chatted with Lily Cox, co-founder and CMO of Rewild to get the lowdown on all issues Shady Girl. Rewild is a specialty home plant store with a number of areas within the Washington DC space. Able to study concerning the design world’s new It-girl plant? Learn on for all the things it’s essential know!
What’s the Shady Girl?
This plant goes by just a few names—the black olive tree, the Shady Girl or its botanical title Bucida buceras. They’re putting timber that comprise an abundance of tiny leaves. Their delicate foliage have made them a current favourite with designers, particularly on the west coast. “This plant has been making the rounds for the past couple years now,” Cox shares. “If you’ve had other plants, especially other trees like a ficus or a fiddle leaf, then you’ll be able to manage a Shady Lady easily.”
When indoors, black olive timber can develop upwards of 15 ft. It’s finest to offer them a house with room to develop. These warm-weather crops are native to the Caribbean and South and Central America. They require plenty of gentle and diligent watering. Whereas some say the black olive tree is a excessive upkeep plant, Cox’s expertise with the Shady Girl has been unexpectedly nice. “The team at Rewild has been resoundingly very surprised at how easy and straightforward of a plant it is,” she states.
How a lot gentle does a black olive tree want?
It’s very simple to fall in love with a plant merely based mostly on aesthetics—particularly the Shady Girl. I’ve introduced house just a few crops that shortly perished as a result of I had no concept what sort of atmosphere and care they wanted. I simply preferred the way in which it regarded. When you’ve got your sights set on bringing a black olive tree into your own home, you’ll must be positive you may have a spot that will get lots of solar.
“They do like light,” Cox shares. “You don’t have to have them in an unobstructed south facing window exclusively, though they’ll be fine in the vicinity of a south, east, or west facing window.” Choosing a spot in your house that will get constant gentle all through the day is finest. You need to be certain you see the sunshine contact the leaves of your black olive tree, and that the sunshine hits as a lot of the foliage as potential. Leaves that don’t get sufficient gentle will start to droop and ultimately fall. So long as you may have a sunny spot in your house, your black olive tree ought to thrive.
“They’ve done really well in our care. They’ve dropped very few leaves even, which surprised me, because they have so many tiny, beautiful little leaves on them,” Cox gushes. “They’re surprisingly well behaved.”
How usually ought to I water a black olive tree?
Cox waters her Shady Girl about as soon as per week and pays shut consideration to the black olive tree’s soil. “They like diligent watering,” she says. “We determine their need for water by sticking a finger straight in the soil at the base of the plant up to the first knuckle of your index finger. The top two inches need to feel dry. Then give it a good deep watering.”
For those who’re unsure if the soil is dry sufficient, Cox recommends giving it a day or two. Examine once more and be certain there’s no moisture after 24 hours. As an alternative of retaining your black olive tree on a strict watering schedule, nonetheless, Cox recommends forming an interactive relationship together with your plant. “I have a tendency to steer away from a prescriptive approach to plant care and more of a reactive approach to plant care. It makes your life so much easier,” she says.
The quantity of water your black olive tree wants depends on how a lot gentle your plant is getting each day and the way dry the air is in your house. She recommends discovering a novel routine for you and your plant, just by checking in on the soil and watering when it’s dry. “Having good drainage is really important though,” she notes. “Be sure there’s plenty of space for the water to exit the bottom of the pot once the contents of the pot have thoroughly saturated.”
The place can I get a black olive tree?
Regardless that this plant is kind of widespread, they’re not frequent in specialty plant shops simply but. Cox recommends your native plant retailers and asking store homeowners if they’ll get their arms on one for you. “If your local plant shop has an established enough relationship with various growers, you can ask them to procure one for you,” she says. There are additionally fake choices as properly if your own home doesn’t have ample lighting.
How do I type the Shady Girl in my house?
The Shady Girl has been quietly popping up throughout inside design print magazines and the like. Whereas this 12 months’s inside traits have been all about maximalism and daring design decisions, the black olive tree is essentially the most coveted indoor plant presently and is understood for its delicate and demure options. For those who’re trying to create a way of calm in your house, otherwise you’d like so as to add a contact of luxurious to your area, the Shady Girl is an apparent indoor plant alternative. “I think they work really well in homes with a European or a Mediterranean vibe,” Cox says. “Or even a west coast, specifically LA aesthetic.”
Including a plant like a black olive tree to your own home will breathe life into your area. The Shady Girl is tall, picturesque and would look beautiful in a lounge, an entryway, and even in a bed room. It’s additionally price noting that these timber don’t truly produce fruit. (No want to fret about plucking black olives!) So long as you may have loads of daylight and are keen to water them as wanted, the Shady Girl might be a incredible addition to your own home.
