Olive Tree
An indoor olive is really a sun-worshipping Mediterranean tree asked to live in a living room, and it will only thrive if you can give it a genuinely bright, south-facing window. Anything less and it slowly thins, drops leaves, and disappoints. It's the light, not your watering, that makes or breaks it.
They like to dry out between waterings and tolerate dry indoor air well. Don't expect fruit indoors — most need a cold winter dormancy and cross-pollination to set olives — but the silvery foliage and gnarled trunk are the real draw. Many people move theirs outside for the summer to bank some real sun.
Needs the most sun of any plant on this list — 6+ hours of direct light or it thins out and drops leaves.
Deep water, then dry down; olives resent constant moisture
Tolerant — forgives a missed watering and prefers to dry out.
Non-toxic and pet-safe.
Let the top 2 inches dry, then water deeply
Feed with a balanced fertiliser
Prune to shape in late winter and thin crowded growth
Leaf drop almost always means too little light
Check for scale on stems and leaf undersides