Olives will have no problems with your temperatures. I think your bought a "liner" the way most tree seedlings are sold. Although the container was probable not more than 3 inches wide it was deep and ready to transplant the tree into the ground. I have an idea that you potted it up into a mix that did not drain well enough and the combination of wet roots and low light caused the leaf drop. Olives only need well drained soil and full sun to do well. They don't need a rich soil with lots of fertilizer. Al

I uploaded some pix of my olive tree. As I suspected, they're not terribly helpful: :) Olive tree And I got a helpful response back from the nursery where I purchased the tree. This is what the guy had to say: Olives, like all fruit trees, make exponentially more flowers than fruit. Only about three percent of the flowers can be expected to develop. A small tree will usually make only about half a dozen fruit. Very dry or windy conditions can exacerbate the situation. Keep your tree well watered during the first few months. Many people incorrectly assume that olives should seldom be watered. While mature, established olive trees are famous for drought resistance, young or newly planted trees should be treated like any other newly planted tree. I can't do anything about the wind, but I think I'm going to water the tree more at least, even though the leaves look fine. Anyway, it doesn't sound like the lost blossoms are anything to be terribly worried about.

you dont pot 8 foot trees ... you move them ... hopefully to a new and permanent spot ... or as don noted.. to a 'holding area' i dont understand why you would want a tree that close to the house.. that you would move it back .... perhaps more facts??? all that said.. how much would replacement cost ... if these are e.g. $20 trees ... it might be easier to be done with them.. and start over with smaller stock .... when the projects is done.. moving 8 foot trees twice in as many years.. is NOT going to be easy.. and the odds of success will be relatively low.. no matter how aggressive an 8 foot tree is ... think long and hard about your options ... rather than fixating on saving a lost cause ... to put it another way... presuming a $20,000 house renovation ... i dont see how messing around with a couple hundred dollars of trees is cost effective ... include new ones in your budget.. and be done with these ... ken ps: professionals can do this job.. with success.. but then your hundred dollars worth of trees.. will be costing you thousands ....

Here on LI, there are 4 greenhouses I frequent looking for mature plants. I was recently lucky enough to get a large jade on sale for 50% off, cost me 25$. This is a rare find though, so much so, I would've bought it at full price. With mature plants in this locale, mealy bugs can be an issue, though with the use of imidicloprid, it doesn't have to be. I don't know why, but that's been my experience. I'm not sure what form your jades are, but in NYC and LI as well, living spaces aren't always very roomy. To this end, large Jades are grown in small tree form rather than 'shrub' form as pictured in the CL ad from Delaware. If they were mine, and I didn't want to part with them, I would prune and pack well in a cardboard box & ship away, as someone else above already remarked. If you lose one or two, well, you were willing to be without them if you had to, so you're no worse off. However, the more you have, the better your chances are for having at least ONE survive the trip. Consider the square footage of your new living space and whack as needed, pack up, don't spare the bubble wrap and hope for the best. Something else to consider, the amount of light available in your new home may not support too many. Should they all survive, I'm sure you'd be able to re-home one or two easily...ahemm 8D Have you considered mailing them to your new digs? Post whacking and removal of unnecessary potting soil of course. I've purchased large jades in the mail before and they arrived safe and sound. Said plants were grown in a tree-like fashion vs. shrubby. They were not as large as yours, but they were large by NY standards =D about 3' tall and 2.5' wide. Good luck, whatever you decide...now.... Pics pretty-please? n_n