In addition to the 120 olive trees, there were already 3 fig trees, 3 persimmon trees, 12 almond trees, 1 pear and 1 cherry tree (which unfortunately died in 2023). We have bought and planted pistacia trees (2 male, 4 female), apricot, peach, plum, cherry, nectarine, apple, fig and pomegranate trees. Nearly half of the new fruit trees died during the brutal summer of 2023, so we are in the process of replacing these. As well as fruiting trees, Sally had researched drought tolerant trees and there are an additional 9 decorative species such as Montpellier Maple, the Judus tree, Arbutus x thuretiana and Pistacia terebinthus dotted around the land.

In October 2020, Pete and Sally identified signs that the older, taller Cellina di Nardo olive trees had Xylella fastidiosa, the disease which has ripped through Southern Italy, as well as other parts of the world. Our first approach at saving these precious olive trees is to cut out the infected branches and to feed the trees with organic matter, which has been lacking over many years. If that does not work, which we should know by 2024-25, then we shall try grafting Xylella-resistant olive varieties onto the established trunks of the Cellina di Nardo trees on the land.