Olive

What could an olive tree – the ultimate Mediterranean tree – be doing here? It was a diplomatic gift to Belgium. In Belgium, it’s difficult to find a good place to plant an olive tree for the long term. This tree didn’t get put here just by chance. This tree benefits from the special microclimate here. The Botanical Garden is located in a south-facing river basin, surrounded by glass buildings which reflect the sun, and also surrounded by large tarmacked boulevards that give off a lot of heat. It’s a real hotspot of warmth and dry air. The olive tree is also protected from winds by large hedges that arc around it. This all creates conditions that are fairly close to the tree’s native climate, helping it to grow. These conditions are well known by the gardeners who restored the place: amongst the trees being planted here over the past 30 years, many of them seem to be well-suited to the changing climate...