But one thing is really important, when it comes to cultivating oleander: it needs a frost-protected winter habitat, since they are not made for field cultivation in most German regions. The oleander is an evergreen and blossoming bush that can grow up to 3 metres, if you let it grow. The leathery leaves come in a lance-like form and can grow up to 15 cm.
The oleander’s blossoms grow in clusters, while single blossoms are three to five centimetres in diameter. Most blossoms are available in white, different rose colours, or reds and they can appear throughout the whole year, or in colder regions starting in May. By now, you can not only get the original kinds with unfilled blossoms, but also hybrids with filled ones.
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| source pic: naturespoisons.com |
How to Grow and Care
While its slender leaves and dainty flowers give the plant a delicate look, oleander is low-maintenance. It will grow in USDA hardiness zones 9a through 11, although frost will damage plants in North Florida. It will grow in the poorest of soils and is even drought-tolerant; oleander even does well in areas with moderate sea spray.
Oleanders do best in full sun but will tolerate partial shade; too little light will cause the plant to get a leggy, open look and reduces flowering. If you're looking to create a "green wall" with your oleander plants, they should be planted at 5 to 7 foot intervals.
To maintain a tree form, be sure to remove suckers that will grow at the base of the plant. Some gardeners severely prune plants in early to late fall to stimulate new growth. Since oleanders bloom on new wood, this can stimulate flowering, but fall pruning isn't necessary. Regularly removing dead, damaged, or infested branches can improve plant health.
Oleanders are very drought tolerant and will do fine without supplemental watering, but during the hottest or driest parts of the year, a little watering will help your oleander thrive. Avoid overwatering and try to water the roots, not the leaves.
''Pruning Oleander''
Prune after flowering to stimulate new branches, control size and shape, avoid leggy growth, and encourage next year’s flower buds. Remove suckers, which can interfere with flowering, and dead branches.
''Repotting''
The best time for repotting comes in the spring, when wintered plants are cleaned out and prepare
d for the new vegetation period. Young plants should be repotted yearly, older oleander plants as required. The new planting vessel should be only a bit bigger than the old one.
Point in Time: Spring
- only use special substrate
- Young Plants: repot yearly
- older plants only every 5 to 10 years
- If you have reached the maximum pot size, you should only apply cautious root trimming. To do this, take the Oleander out of its pot and trimm a root layer on the side and under the bulb. After that, put the plant back into the pot with a bit of fresh substrate, the pot has to be thoroughly cleaned before that. We also advise you to trim the shoots while you’re at it.
''Watering''
The water requirements follow sun exposure and temperature. If the oleander is in its colder winter quarters, it doesn’t need as much water. It suffices to check the bulb once a week. Oleander will also tolerate moisture in its winter quarter for a short time, but we advise you to keep it drier.
Once temperatures rise during the spring, water requirements rise, too. If you have your plant on your terrace or balcony, we advise to equip them with a saucer, so that rinsed nutrients and water can be absorbed again. During hot periods the oleander should also be, additionally to the regular watering, watered into its saucer, so that the plant is constantly in water.
Big plants have to sometimes be watered up to three times a day. To keep the soil permanently alkaline, the plant cannot be watered with rainwater, but prefers chalky, stale tap water. Always use warmed water and not ice-cold water (directly from the tap) since the evergreen oleander will not tolerate it.
''Soil Conditions''
Oleander comes with high demands regarding the substrate. In the outdoors the plants grow at the courses of rivers, partly on stony and submerged soils. These soils are often chalky and tightly compressed. Normal soil, which usually contains turf, is therefore not suitable for cultivation.
- nutrient-rich
- containing clay
- chalky
- special pot planting soil for oleander
- mix of garden soil, compost and clay
- additionally mix in a bit of garden chalk
''Hardiness Zones''
Oleanders are not frost-tolerant. They are only reliably perennial in USDA plant hardiness zones 8-10. In cooler areas, they can be grown in containers and brought indoors for the winter.
''Pests and Problems of Oleander''
Generally, oleander plants are problem-free, but there are a few pests and diseases to be on the watch for.
Pests:
Mealybugs, scale, and aphids are the most common pests. They can usually be controlled with insecticidal soap or neem.
The Oleander caterpillar can defoliate plants. Use Bt for control.
There is also a leafhopper known as the glassy-winged sharpshooter that spreads a fatal oleander disease. It is most commonly found in California.
Disease:
Root rots can occur in cool damp soil.
Oleander leaf scorch, mostly seen in California, is a bacteria, Xylella fastidiosa, spread by the glassy-winged sharpshooter, which causes yellowing and drying of the leaves. There is no cure of oleander leaf scorch and glassy-winged sharpshooters are hard to control.
Some of the Best Oleander Varieties to Grow
With new introductions every year, it is hard to pick the best plant varieties for a garden, but these oleanders have stood the test of time.
- “Hardy Pink” lives up to its names. It will grow to about 15 ft. in height and 10 ft. wide, with pink flowers throughout summer.
- “Mathilde Ferrier” has double pale yellow flowers and show some resilience against frost damage. It reaches a height of about 8 ft. tall.
- “Mrs. Lucille Hutchings” is covered with double blossoms in a peachy hue. This is a large oleander, topping out at 20 ft. tall and 10 ft. wide.
- “White Sands” is a dwarf oleander variety that doesn’t get much larger than 4-6 ft. tall and wide. It has lovely pure white flowers.
''Warning''
Oleander is extremely poisonous*. Eating even small amounts of any part of the plant can make a person or animal severely ill or cause death. Contact of sap with skin may cause irritation. Smoke from burning cuttings can cause severe reactions.
