From culinary treasure to living masterpiece, the Arbequina Olive Tree carries the legacy of centuries, inspiring elegance and natural resilience.

Arbequina Olive Tree: A Value-Shifting Journey Through Time

Prized Historical Namesake to Modern-Day Landscaping Star

The variety of olive tree known as the Arbequina (“ar-beh-KEE-na”) has a centuries-long history of culinary popularity and economic success throughout its native Catalonia region due to the delicious olives and flavorful, high-quality oil it produces. 

Such is the pride felt by those who first cultivated it, that this tree bears the name of the city in which it was originally grown – Arbeca.

But there is much more to this hardy cultivar (variety) of the Olea europaea (common olive tree). 

Besides its gold-standard crop, the tree is highly tolerant to colder temperatures, which is necessary for fruiting. (more on this later for would-be Thailand olive farmers). The Arbequina is versatile in terms of suitable setting types, and is easy to maintain for landscaping applications.

So let’s find out what makes Arbequina such a popular tree as an object of elegance and beauty…

Enter: The Age of Luxury Landscaping

Today, the Arbequina continues its run as a prized source of olives and olive oil, used by respected restaurants and sold in pricey specialty shops. But to the discerning home landscaper, this legendary tree bears an aesthetic value which re-purposes the crop trees as personal specimens of living beauty, much sought-after for their enchanting foliage and natural resilience gained over centuries of season-cycles and harvests.

Ornamental Arbequina: A Natural Work of Art

After serving for centuries in the food and wealth industries, the Arbequina is also now recognized as a “supermodel” decorative tree which exudes a rustic elegance that dramatically enhances any outdoor living space or commercial property. 

What Do They Look Like?

The Arbequina is a medium-sized ornamental olive tree, with a canopy that reaches a height of 15 to 20 feet (4.5 – 7 m.) and 8 to 10 feet (2.5 – 3.5 m.) across, making them ideal for a number of aesthetic and practical uses. 

Its branches grow in a “weeping’ posture, giving the tree’s profile a soothing, unobtrusive presence. Classified as sub-tropical evergreen, the Arbequina’s glossy, silvery-green leaves stay fresh-looking all year, particularly in warmer climates such as those common to Southeast Asia. Their fruit (“drupes”) ripen to a dark brown and when brined can be eaten as a snack or cold-pressed for their oil, but for now we’re focusing on the Arbequina as a living space-enhancing home landscaping superstar.

Unimaginable Lifespan and a Flexible Landscaping Solution  

When you plant an Arbequina, it’s a lifetime investment that will last for generations. With a verifiable longevity that is measured in centuries, the shade and soothing beauty of this tree are both contemporary pleasures and the enduring legacy of its owner.

And owing to the Arbequina’s growth versatility, it can be used as a single tree in a larger, wide-open space, or in various grouping configurations as aesthetic or lifestyle enhancers. 

Here are just a few examples of Arbequina landscape settings you can create…

- A lone Arbequina serving as the dramatic focal point of a minimalist-inspired liminal space or ceremonial-themed setting, offering a majestic sight for all who pass through its singularly-occupied domain.

- A small grouping of Arbequinas serving as dreamlike shade arbor right out of a romance novel, their sun-dappled shade gently “dancing” in-time with its wind-rusted leaves.

- Arbequinas arranged in a closely-spaced row as a stylish and highly effect privacy-blind, or  widely spaced as a stately contour-lining feature for a grand driveway or scenic footpath.  

Almost Any Dirt Will Do, But Keep It Dry 

Although the Arbequina is tolerant to varying soil types, perpetually soggy ground and pooling at the roots are Kryptonite to it and all types of olive trees. This is why proper drainage is mission-critical to keeping your Arbee healthy and naturally resilient for many years to come. Use mulch or sandy loam around the roots when planting. It’s ok if, and even recommended, that the top-most layer of soil dries out between waterings. 

This tolerance to dry conditions gives the Arbequina an extra measure of protection from increasingly severe climate changes seen in just about every corner of the globe. Or, another option for ensuring a good planting prep is to contact an experienced and reputable olive tree supplier which offers informed, valuable advice on placement, hydration and planting. 

Robust Defense Against Natural Threats 

Although no tree species is immune from all natural evils such as disease and pest infestation, the Arbequina exhibits a strong natural defense against many common tree threats.

Still, there are a number of “usual suspects” pest species that can affect the tree’s leaves or fruit, such as  olive lace bug, weevils, and scale insects like aphids. But with a little informed intervention by the owner, these common adverse conditions can be corrected, or even prevented with routine maintenance from an experienced, reliable tree care service. 

Of course, the choice of approach to olive tree care is yours: “D.I.Y.” or “V.I.P.” But leaving routine tree maintenance and inspection to experts means never having to worry about what Mother Nature might throw at your beloved Olive.

Modest Sunlight and (No) Sex Requirements 

Ideally the tree would happily take in 8 to 10 hours of direct sunlight daily, but the Arbequina is not a picky sun-bather. A setting of semi-shade or partial light obstruction will not significantly affect its growth or appearance.  And because the Arbequina olive is self-pollinating, additional plants or presence of pollinating insects is never an issue.  

Bad Air In, Good Air Out

With global warming having become a make-or-break issue for the future of our planet, anything that helps mitigate the effects of chronic air pollution is good everyone. That’s where the Arbequina’s high carbon-sequestering capacity can really make a difference: It traps toxic CO2 in the atmosphere and locks it away forever in its dense wood structure, serving as a localized natural air purifying system while producing life-giving oxygen. A grove of Arbequinas would be like having your own Amazon jungle, referred to as the “earth’s lung” for this very same environmental function.

To Fruit or Not to Fruit?

As mentioned earlier in this article, Arbequina olives and the oil they produce are to this day are much prized heritage crops, but there are challenges to fruiting for home-landscapers in much of Southeast Asia.

It all comes down to the thermometer. Olive trees need to get chilly in order to bear fruit: A solid 2 to 3 weeks of temperatures at 64F/17.7C or lower. For S.E Asia-region olive tree growers, this means upper land altitudes such as highlands and mountainous regions. If this sounds like where you live, then there’s a chance you can brine or cold-press yourself some home-grown olive fruit goodness. 

But the reality is that just delicious olives and olive oil can be purchased with ease at markets that sell European import items, but the beauty and natural charm of the Arbequina olive tree can only be enjoyed with its roots in your home soil.

Endowed with resilience, the Arbequina Olive Tree from

Century Olive Tree stands as a symbol of unwavering strength

and beauty. Its perseverance teaches us that even in the

harshest of conditions, one can thrive, and in doing so, inspire

a century of stories.

Now that you’re fascination with the Arbequina has been cranked up a notch simply by reading words on a page, it just makes sense you’d want to visit our online photo galleries and see for yourself our nationally-unmatched selection of rare and ancient ornamental olive trees, all in-stock ready for immediate delivery, or…

…step away from the screen and step out into the fresh air at the Century Olive Tree nursery and show gardens, where you can get up-close and personal with what just might be your Arbequina! Explore the creativity-inspiring displays of actual landscape settings featuring premium olive tree varieties with exotic names like Hojiblanca, Piel Joven and Sylvestris.

Questions? That’s what we’re here for so feel free to ask away!

Book your personal Century Olive Tree tour today! It’s fast and convenient on our official LINE account, or call +66 9896 82666, +66 9339 33666.