How to Care for an Olive Tree in Washington State

[Brian2412]

I planted this Arbequina Olive tree this spring here in Richland, WA and it had a great season…lots of new growth. We love this tree and really want it to do well. We are not looking for huge fruit production, simply we love the look of the olive tree and enjoy it in our backyard.

I wanted to make sure I am taking care of it properly. I've attached a few photos. You can see all the new growth on this tree…

My questions are:
1) Should I prune this tree? When/how? Should I do thinning cuts, or cut back the growth from this past season?
2) The white thing…this is a “solar blanketâ€