Nerium oleander
Oleander, Rose Bay
Type Shrub, woody plant
Hardy range 9A to 11
Height 10' to 15' / 3.00m to 4.60m
Spread 10' to 15' / 3.00m to 4.60m
Growth rate Fast
Form Rounded and vase shaped
Exposure Full sun
Persistence Evergreen
Bloom Color Orange, pink, red, white and yellow
Bloom Time Year 'round
Environment This plant tolerates drought and some salt.
This plant will grow in very dry soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy, sandy or clay.
The pH preference is an acidic to alkaline (less than 6.8 to more than 7.7) soil.
Leaf Color Green
Fall Color No change in fall color
Culture Notes Oleander tolerates poor soil and drought well and is often planted near the coast. It can even grow in slightly brackish water but needs all day full sun for best growth, form and flowering. Plants in containers tolerate moderately-high soil salt solutions up to about 6 mmhos/cm according to the saturated media extract method. However, the plant is poisonous.
There are probably more than 400 cultivars available at various places.
Tolerance to urban conditions makes it well suited for planting in highway medians where it can be planted and forgotten - probably best for this usage. It grows vigorously following wet weather, slowing down in drought, but always seems to look good even in very dry soil. Oleander is one of the easiest shrubs to care for, getting by with one or two fertilizations each year and only needing irrigation to become established in the eastern part of the US. Occasional irrigation in the western US helps plants pull through the hot, dry summer periods.
Sometimes suckers produced at the base of the plant will siphon off too much energy and flowering will be inhibited. These suckers should be pulled to remove them when they are young and succulent. Plants can be grown as shrubs, standards or trees, and flowers come in a variety of colors. Oleander caterpillars can be very troublesome. All parts of the plant are extremely poisonous if ingested. Prevent children from ingesting this plant.
Use as a street tree This plant can be grown as a multi-trunk tree for use in highway median strips and in landscapes, or can be used as a street tree where there is not a need for tall-vehicle clearance beneath the crown. The small stature and low, spreading, branching habit makes pruning for vehicular clearance difficult unless it is properly trained from an early age to develop one main trunk. The effort required initially to train this tree for street tree use, however, may be offset by its advantages.
Planting and establishing shrubs The most common cause of young plant failure is planting too deep. Plant the root ball no deeper than it was in the nursery. In most instances, the root flare zone (point where the top-most root in the root ball originates from the trunk) should be located just above the landscape soil surface. Sometimes plants come from the nursery with soil over the root flare. If there is soil over this area, scrape it off. The planting hole should be at least twice the width of the root ball, preferably wider. In all but exceptional circumstances where the soil is very poor, there is no need to incorporate anything into the backfill soil except the loosened soil that came out of the planting hole. Never place ANY soil over the root ball. If a row or grouping of plants is to be installed, excavating or loosening the soil in the entire bed and incorporating organic matter enhances root growth and establishment rate.
Weed suppression during establishment is essential. Apply a 3-inch thick layer of mulch around the plant to help control weed growth. Keep it at least 10 inches from the trunk. If you apply it over the root ball, apply only a one or two inch layer. This allows rainwater and air to easily enter the root ball and keeps the trunk dry. Placing mulch against the trunk or applying too thick a layer above the root ball can kill the plant by oxygen starvation, death of bark, stem and root diseases, prevention of hardening off for winter, vole and other rodent damage to the trunk, keeping soil too wet, or repelling water. Regular irrigation through the first growing season after planting encourages rapid root growth, which is essential for quick plant establishment.
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