Xela's Garden
Oleander [P]
Genus: Nerium.
Species: Nerium oleander.
Planted July'13 in field [pink & white]& road [red] border @ Paul's PyrreneanPad
Bought July'13 from ? for €5.? each
Nerium oleander Evergreen Shrub, Nerium oleander has long oval/pointed leaves off several stems. Size from 1m x 1m to 6m plus.
Flowers: white, yellow, to all shades of pink and red. Single or double ruffles off a cone and in clusters at the end of a stem, July/August
Drought tolerance: 3 -requires no water in this region once established if planted in open ground; this does not mean that the plant will not look stressed in summer, it may lose leaves, go dormant or shrivel, that is how it is adapted to survive.
Full sun to part shade.
Oleander, as it is commonly known, is found growing from Portugal to parts of China, usually in dried out stream beds. After flowering it produces downy seeds in a hard pod and in sub-tropical parts of the world these germinate readily and the plant can become very invasive – not so in the South of France.
Nerium oleander is one of the absolute ‘must-haves’ in a Mediterranean climate where it will flower abundantly in the hottest months and stand great heat and drought while looking green and lush. Its flowers look stunning next to the dark green foliage, especially against stonework and framed by the bright blue sky.
It makes a good informal hedge, choose a mix of cultivars of the same height, or in a mixed planting with other Mediterranean shrubs such as Eleagnus x ebbingei, Vibrunum tinus, Laurus nobilis.
There is an enormous range of cultivars that vary in size, frost hardiness, flower colour, single or double flowers and scent. When the cultivar is a scented one, a honey like smell is released during the hottest part of the day. Consult a specialist nursery to choose the right one for you, the Filippi nursery near Mèze is a good sourse of advice and so is their website www.jardin-sec.com, but you need to speak French.
Although Nerium oleander is very heat and drought tolerant it will not do well planted in barren dry open soil:
The plant likes a deep cool root run and will perform 10 x better if planted where the roots can find this; next to terraces and patios, up against walls, under permeable membrane and heavy mulches.
It also pays to break up the soil very well in a good planting hole and mix in sand/organic matter.
These elements mimic the natural environment of the plant in dried up river beds that have a sandy loamy soil and some underground water.
The other thing with the plant is that, after a few years, the stems go rather leggy and ugly with yellow lower leaves. New growth needs to be encouraged by an annual prune of 1/4 of the old stems in November or February, new shoots will be sent up which will be young and lush. A light feed in autumn will help this along. This is an important step as otherwise the plants look quite ugly in winter.
If the plants have got very old then they can be cut to the ground, new shoots will rise rapidly, although flowering may be affected in the first summer.
Nerium oleander will grow in part shade, although I find it much better in full sun. Plants are often seen for sale in the British Isles, although they will tolerate frost, they will rarely flower as they need a hot sun.
Even mature plants can be transplanted, assuming you can dig them up- the roots will get very damaged but the plants will march on – cut back the top growth very hard to 8cms or so.
Propagation is very easily, cuttings placed in water will root 50% – 70% of the time.
(Oleander is reputedly one of the most poisonous of plants, although it has to be said that very many drought tolerant plants are also very poisonous to prevent grazing by animals).
Read more: http://www.themediterraneangardener.co.uk/shrubs/nerium-oleander
