Jeff Doubét drops in on a jobsite to photograph planting large olive trees. See how you can upgrade your own Spanish-style garden landscape with instant gratification (by bringing in large specimen trees and plants).
Step inside this photo shoot to see how a local Montecito, CA arborist team and a landscape contractor did it.
In this photo, a huge crane arrives. It would be used to lift and move the heavy trees into place.
One of the two large olive trees was transported to the site by a large landscaping truck.
Prep Work for Planting Large Olive Trees
Planting large olive trees is not a weekend warrior project. Here, the crane operator set up his stabilizers, as the local Montecito landscape contractor meets with the project arborist.
In this photo, one of the large olive trees is being hoisted out of the landscape truck.
For months I had been looking forward to this day. I had sketched a couple of large olive trees into a small Spanish-style cottage and lanscape design rendering.
In this image the local landscape contractor, crane operator and crew get on with it. I showcased the overall house renovation in my 240 page Hardcover Spanish Home Design Book
Photos Planting Large Olive Trees
For the Spanish Home Design Photo Blog I wanted to share a sequence of beautiful photographs that document how large olive trees are transplanted.
The local Montecito arborist’s installation team get to work digging the first hole for the massive tree install.
It’s a hard sweaty job, so the strong young men take turns working the shovel. The landscape contractor double checks the height dimension of the root ball.
I’ve always admired him as a hard worker, hustler and a just do it kind of guy. He literally gets in the trenches and squares up the sides of the first hole.
THE EASY BUTTON TO VIEW ALL PROJECTS ON SITE
Large Olive Trees in SPanish-style Landscapes
In this photo the tree is temporarily lowered into place to see if the hole size is adequate. Ancient olive trees are perfect for Spanish-style landscapes. The way the twisted and knotty base supports the multi-branch canopy, and how they make a project feel.
In this photo, the second olive tree arrives on a flatbed trailer. These trees were purchased from the Montecito based arborist with a local yard of large specimen trees for sale. Transport was only a couple of miles, so not much prep was required for moving them.
The second olive tree is slowly moved by crane. The landscape contractor stabilizes from spinning around.
In this photo a beautiful Santa Barbara sandstone wall is being hand built by local stone masons. The break in the wall will become sandstone steps leading up to the upper yard.
Spanish-style products on Amazon, and my project overviews where they were installed.
Here the team works on getting the second hole ready for the second olive tree. In this photo you can see the shrink wrapped root ball.
Here’s a shot of one of the landscape crew tamping down dirt, packing it around the root ball so as to not have any air pockets in the install.
How much does it cost to plant large olive trees?
I estimate the project you see in these images (trees, crew and crane) required about $5,000 to complete.
Your investment installing mature olive trees will include the cost of the trees and transporting them to the site. Renting a large crane most likely will be required to lift the trees off the flatbed trailer and position them into their final resting place.
If you are local in the Santa Barbara or Montecito, California area – I can help you with recommendations for the various independent teams that are knowledgeable in all of this.
Well friend, this wraps another episode in beautiful Montecito, CA. I hope you enjoyed learning how to infuse more Santa Barbara Style into your own Spanish home and landscape design project. Click to see more landscapes on the blog. Scroll to explore more helpful links and resources available to you.