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Oleander has Mediterranean look and feel
Mississippi Gardens Newspaper and Web Column - April 26, 2004

Few plants are as versatile and characteristically coastal as the oleander (Nerium oleander). Southern gardeners, especially along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, widely use this plant in a variety of settings for many good reasons.

Oleander is not the typical evergreen foundation plant. It forms a large, multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with oblong-lanceolate leaves and clusters of funnel-shaped blooms of various colors in the late spring and summer. It is a native of the Mediterranean region and residents of Mississippi's Riviera have come to appreciate and enjoy this beautiful, durable plant.

When oleander is used to adorn highway medians you know it's tough. Oleander is well able to withstand abuse and neglect and is often chosen to grace the roadways in both Western and Southern states.

In residential and commercial landscapes, oleander may be used as a specimen or grouped together to form a visual screen, barrier or windbreak. Oleander can also be used as a container plant including poolside situations where there is much reflected light. It's very tolerant of salt spray as well as hot dry conditions, yet it will also perform well where more nutrients and moisture are available.

Oleander is best suited for the lower part of zone 8. When temperatures dip below 15 degrees, it may be burned back to the ground, but should resprout when warm weather returns in the spring.

Plant oleander in full sun for best flower production, although it will take some shade. Well-drained, sandy soil is preferred, but it will tolerate many different soil types.

Like crepe myrtle, oleander blooms on new growth. Therefore, pruning in late winter, drastically, if necessary, is used to shape and rejuvenate the plant. Some oleander begins to bloom in late April and, depending on the cultivar, will bloom off and on during the summer and on into fall.

It should be mentioned in any article about oleander that all parts of the plant (green or dry) are toxic, even inhaled smoke from burning plant refuse is toxic.

Oleander has few diseases that bother it, but in extended wet seasons, root rot may take its toll. The typical Southern bugs, including aphids, mealy bug and scale, may choose to attack oleander. The oleander caterpillar, that can completely defoliate the plant, may also attack. However, insecticides easily control the caterpillar.

There are over 400 cultivars, but not all are available in the marketplace. Oleander may grow 6 to 20 feet tall with 6 to 12 foot width. However, dwarf cultivars do exist.

Plants are usually chosen based on flower color that ranges from white to cream, pink, lilac, red, carmine, purple, yellow, salmon, apricot, copper and orange. Flowers may also be fragrant and in single or double form. Oleander is an excellent choice for coastal landscapes supplying the look and feel of a Mediterranean garden.

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These archived columns were written by Kerry Johnson, a hobby gardener, former weekly newspaper columnist and an Area Extension Horticulture Agent for 11 coastal counties in Mississippi.