Normally the first year a tree is planted, most of the work is going on underground. As long as it lived and stayed green you should be happy. This year it should put on some more growth and the third year it should really leap.

I'm no help w/ the second question. I remove mine after the first year, but I guess it depends on the situation.

what they said.. but we cant go any further w/o a pic ..

whether or not a stake is requisite.. can not be defined on words alone ..

ken

Thanks for your help, jqpublic and Ken. OK, I'll work on getting a pic together. :)

OK, here are a couple of pix of the olive tree. It is leaning somewhat. Should I still keep it tied to the stake?

Olive tree

Oops, let's try that link again:

Olive tree

Where did you find your tree? I'd like to plant 2 or 3 of them but they're so darn expensive

Sandy Oaks Olives in San Antonio is reasonably priced, but I'm not sure how much shipping to Florida would cost. They've got a good selection as well.

http://www.sandyoaks.com/nursery.html