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Specs are compiled from manufacturer listings and verified buyer reviews and can change over time — please confirm the key details on the product page before buying.
You might think olive trees are fussy Mediterranean divas, but the small varieties that grow indoors or in pots are actually more forgiving than their reputation suggests. Here are the three best small olive tree options, with the honest trade-offs between a live, fruiting tree and a maintenance-free artificial one, so you can match one to your light, your space, and how much care you want to give.
I’m Mohammad Maruf — the founder and writer behind Gardening Beyond. This guide is built by comparing the manufacturers’ published specifications and the patterns across verified customer reviews, so you get each pick’s real strengths and trade-offs instead of marketing spin.
Your ideal small olive tree depends on one question: do you want a live tree that can fruit indoors, or a realistic faux one that needs no water at all? The right pick balances mature size, care commitment, and if you need a live or faux look.
Our Picks at a Glance
How To Choose The Best Small Olive Tree
Every small olive tree demands one big decision up front: live or artificial? A live tree rewards you with fruit and fragrance but needs real sunlight and consistent watering. An artificial one asks for nothing but a monthly dusting. That one choice instantly narrows the field to live or artificial.
Start with the light you actually have
Live olive trees are sun worshippers — the Florida Foliage variety here lists full sun as its requirement. If your apartment only offers a bright window for a few hours a day, a live tree will stretch, drop leaves, and sulk. In that case, the artificial route gives you the look without the death sentence.
Match the mature size to your space
A live Arbequina can balloon to a mature height of 12-20 feet with a 15-20 foot width if planted in the ground. That’s a landscape tree, not a permanent houseplant. Grown in a container, it stays far smaller, but you should still expect to repot and prune. An artificial 3-foot tree, by contrast, is the exact size it will be in five years.
Check the pollination story
If you want fruit from a single tree, you need a self-pollinating variety. Arbequina olives are the classic choice here — they set fruit on their own, though a second tree boosts the harvest. If fruit doesn’t matter and you just want the gray-green aesthetic, you can skip the pollination question entirely.
Quick Comparison
| Model | Best For | Type | Weight | Included Extras | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arbequina (6-Inch Pot)★ Best Overall | First-time live tree owners | Live Plant | 5 pounds | — | Amazon |
| Nearly Natural 3 ft Faux Olive | Low-light rooms & offices | Artificial Tree | 3.2 pounds | Nursery Planter | Amazon |
| Arbequina with Fertilizer | Gardeners planning to transplant | Live Plant | 27 pounds | Special Blend Fertilizer | Amazon |
In-Depth Reviews
1. Arbequina Olive Tree – 6 Inch Pot
Our pick — over 4★ from 150+ verified ratings; the strongest balance of quality and price.
The crowd-pleasing live olive starter that brings real Mediterranean fruit to an indoor pot.
Appearance is what wins buyers over here — it is the most-praised trait in the owner feedback. Reviewers report trees arriving healthy, well-grown, and nursery-quality, with one typical response: “Received a very healthy olive tree.” At just 5 pounds in a 6-inch pot, it is a true tabletop-sized specimen that fits a sunny kitchen sill or apartment balcony without dominating the room.
The self-pollinating Arbequina is the smart pick for single-tree fruit, producing up to 20 pounds of olives a year with that mild, buttery table-olive flavor. It’s labeled drought-tolerant, pest-resistant, and heat-tolerant, and it ripens starting in November — so it rewards patience with a timely fall harvest. Owners consistently describe it as better than big-box store stock, calling it “cream of the crop” for the money.
The honest caveat is durability, which earns mixed feedback: some trees push exceptional spring growth while others arrive stressed and drop leaves within a month. That variance is the reality of shipping any live plant, and the seller’s responsiveness matters — damaged holiday shipments were replaced quickly with well-packaged, watered trees. This is the best overall for a first-time live tree owner with bright light, not for a black-thumb household.
Why owners love it
- True self-pollinating Arbequina fruits on its own with up to 20 pounds of olives a year
- Compact 5-pound size in a 6-inch pot suits tabletops and small spaces
- Drought-tolerant and pest-resistant for forgiving everyday care
Who should think twice
- Live plants arrive stressed sometimes — durability feedback runs mixed
- A few owners found the tree smaller than expected on arrival
- Needs genuine full sun, not a dim corner
Reach for this if: you want a real, fruiting tree with mild buttery olives and you have a bright, sunny spot to give it.
Look elsewhere if: you lack consistent full-sun light and can’t accept the risk of a live shipment arriving stressed.
2. Nearly Natural 3 ft Artificial Olive Tree
The realistic faux olive that fills a corner with Mediterranean charm and never needs watering.
If you love the look but lack the light, this artificial tree delivers — owners praise its appearance and realism above all else. Buyers report it “really compliments the room,” and many say friends assume it’s alive. The 3-foot height with a 14-inch width makes it a compact accent that fills an empty corner without towering over a console table.
Assembly is genuinely easy: 120 bendable branches let you reshape the canopy to your taste, and the nursery planter is included so it looks finished the moment it’s from the start. The blend of light and dark green leaves with faux olives in various hues reads convincingly from across the room. Unlike the live Arbequina above, this one won’t shed leaves in winter or demand full sun — it just sits there looking fresh.
The trade-off is honesty about the craftsmanship. Durability draws the most negative comments, with branches that can snap off and pots that occasionally arrive damaged. One owner also flagged olive branches thicker than the stems they attach to, calling the seam impossible to hide. And while the listing is a 3-foot tree, a few buyers felt it ran smaller than expected. For a zero-maintenance Mediterranean accent in a rental or low-light office, this is the reliable pick.
easy realism: 120 bendable branches and a planter included mean it looks styled instantly, with a monthly feather-duster dusting as the only upkeep.
Know the limits: branches can break with rough handling, and the occasional pot arrives damaged — treat the stems gently and inspect on arrival.
Best suited for: renters, office decor, and anyone whose windows simply can’t sustain a live olive tree.
skip it if: you’re a purist who will notice branch seams up close or you want a tree that grows and changes over time.
3. Arbequina Olive Tree with Fertilizer
A substantial 27-pound live tree with a year’s worth of fertilizer for the committed gardener.
This is the pick for a gardener who plans to plant outdoors, not just display indoors. At 27 pounds versus the 5-pound 6-inch pot above, this is a far more established tree — an 8.4x weight gap that translates into a thicker trunk and a head start on growth. It ships as a 2-3 foot specimen with a planting guide and a 1-year supply of olive tree food, so everything you need for the first year arrives in the box.
Owners consistently landed on appearance and plant quality as the top traits, with reports of healthy, beautiful trees arriving in sturdy packaging. “2 years later it’s still alive,” runs one enduring review, from an owner in Minnesota who keeps it indoors by a window in winter and moves it to the deck each summer — proof of the variety’s adaptability. It’s rated for Hardiness zones 7-11, drought-tolerant once established, and self-pollinating with edible olives that can fruit within the first year of planting.
The honest catch is scale and resilience. This tree’s mature height reaches 12-20 feet with a 15-20 foot width, so it’s really a landscape tree that happens to ship small — plan for the ground or a very large container. Health feedback runs mixed, with some owners noting leaf drop after arrival, and a few reported the promised fertilizer missing from their box. For a gardener with outdoor space who wants a fast start, this is the most substantial live option.
Built for the long haul
- Heftier 27-pound plant for a grown start in the landscape
- Includes a 1-year supply of special blend fertilizer and a planting guide
- Self-pollinating with edible olives that can fruit in year one
Consider before buying
- Matures to 12-20 feet tall — this is not a permanent houseplant
- Health feedback runs mixed, with some leaf drop reported
- An occasional box arrives missing the advertised fertilizer
Choose this for: zone 7-11 gardeners planting outdoors who want a big head start over a seedling.
Think twice if: you have only a small indoor spot — the 5-pound 6-inch pot tree suits that far better.
Understanding the Specs
Why self-pollinating matters
A self-pollinating olive like the Arbequina sets fruit with just one tree, so you don’t need a second variety nearby for pollination. That single-tree fruit set is what makes these small trees practical for patios and indoor pots, where you rarely have room for a grove. A second tree simply means a bigger harvest, not a necessary one.
Reading the mature height honestly
When a listing says a tree will reach 12-20 feet, that’s its size in the ground years down the line — not what arrives at your door. A 2-3 foot shipped tree stays small in a container, but it will keep growing and eventually need a bigger pot or outdoor planting. The artificial 3-foot tree, by contrast, never outgrows its spot, which is a genuine advantage for tight spaces.
FAQ
Can a small olive tree really fruit indoors?
Which is better for a low-light apartment, live or artificial olive tree?
What is the difference between the two Arbequina live trees?
How long does a live olive tree take to produce fruit?
What hardiness zones can a small olive tree survive in?
How much maintenance does an artificial olive tree need?
Is an olive tree drought-tolerant?
Can I keep an olive tree in a pot forever?
Final Thoughts: The Verdict
For most buyers, the small olive tree winner is the Arbequina 6-Inch Pot because it delivers genuine fruit and Mediterranean charm in a compact, approachable size. If you want the look without any care commitment, grab the Nearly Natural 3 ft Faux Olive. And for outdoor gardeners with room to grow, the Arbequina with Fertilizer is the substantial head start to reach for.
How We Picked
We do not accept paid placement. Every pick is matched to a real buyer and a real use-case; we do not hands-on test units.
Sources & Methodology
Specifications: manufacturer listings and product documentation. Review insights: verified customer reviews, as of August 2026. Pricing: not shown on this page (it changes often); check the current price via the retailer link.
As an Amazon Associate, Gardening Beyond earns from qualifying purchases. This does not affect which products we feature.