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Oleander.

Oleander belongs to the Genus Nerium, which has just one species called Nerium Oleander. However, because Oleanders produce such a beautiful display of Flowers there have been many cultivars created and indeed there are more than 200 cultivars recorded in existence. Oleanders have been grown for hundreds of generations and there are records of their cultivation in both Ancient Greek times and during the reign of the ancient Egyptians. Descriptions of Oleanders can be found in the writings of ancient Greek philosophers such as Theophrastus in the period from 400 to 180 B.C.
Although Oleanders are very definitely frost tender and will not tolerate any severe cold conditions, like many other cultivated plants, Oleanders have found their way into the wild in many of the warmer parts of the World and now grow freely in the Far East, across the Mediterranean region and into North-West Africa and India.
Oleanders are evergreen with narrow grey green leaves and normally thought of as shrubs, but they can develop a woody stem and can be encouraged to grow upwards more in the shape of a small tree. The maximum any cultivar will reach is 7 metres, although many smaller ones only grow to one, or two metres, after some 10 – 20 years.
There are several synonyms for Oleanders and they include Nerium Indicum, 'Laurier Rose' and “Jamaica South Sea Rose.”

Oleanders like to grow in full sun and a very sheltered spot. They will not withstand the Winters here in the UK, although they can be grown in a Conservatory, but care should be taken as they are prone to attack from red spider mite, scale insects and mealy-bugs. They can however, be put out on a sunny Yard for the Summer Months like other Exotics including Bananas and various Palms that seem to be so popular these day. The flowering period for Oleanders is through the months of July, August, September and into October when they produce masses of funnel-shaped flowers, that are 3-4cm across, at the end of their stems. The colours of different cultivars can be of Pink, White, Yellow, or Red. After the Flowers, long seed-pods develop that look like Bean Pods, but under no circumstances should they be eaten as they are very poisonous and indeed gloves should be worn when handling Oleanders as all parts are Toxic and even touch may cause irritation.

Oleanders may be propagated from seed and will grow from cuttings as well as air layering that should be done in spring. Cutting material can be taken from Pruning that Oleanders tolerate well if done in late Winter.
 

 

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