Radiant Red Oleander (Nerium oleander (Red cv)) is a fantastically tolerant, adaptable, and versatile flowering ornamental shrub! Tough as nails with a long history as a landscaping plant, the radiant clusters of crimson-red blooms attract Hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees but don’t have much in the way of nectar for them.
Blooming seasonally, throughout the late spring until fall months, the lipstick red blossoms stand out against the glossy, richly hued, leathery broadleaved evergreen leaves! Dense enough to cast great shade and privacy, the foliage and flowers do warrant care to be taken to avoid the highly toxic sap. Teach kids to steer clear of Oleander, and educate them early to leave this plant alone. Even though the leaves are extremely bitter and unpalatable, it is not a shrub recommended for use near stock animals. Some people also have a sensitivity to leathery Oleander leaves. Wear gloves to avoid skin irritation while handling.
Red Oleander grows to 7-15 feet in height and 8-12 feet in width, and can be trained as a shrub, into a tree form specimen, or left to ramble as a shrubby groundcover! Its ability to shapeshift depending on your landscape's needs makes it incredibly versatile!
Planting and Application:
These are perfect accent plants in even the most aggressively warm climates. They are quick growers to their full height and are perfect for fences, borders, and property edges. Use them as a beautiful flowering windbreak at beach properties. Plant them in a staggered double row in a zig-zagging pattern. Mass them on tough, sunny sites, such as slopes. It's far easier and safer to allow these plants to spread to their full height and spread on your slope than it is to try to mow. This will slow water runoff and erosion with just a few of these rambling bushy shrubs!
Red Oleanders are quick growers to their full height and grow dense enough for privacy hedges. They are perfect for training on fences and as borders. Use them as a beautiful flowering windbreak at beach properties! These plants make the perfect large backdrop for garden rooms or to hide the more mundane utility areas of your yard. They are big enough to provide a sparkling background for other flowering shrubs in the border, too. Create living walls for special nooks and private areas and plenty of privacy.
Oleander also makes a wonderful container plant and patio accent plant. Although they can tolerate a bit of frost, they can grow in zone 8 but may need to prune out some dead tops in spring - but no fear as they bloom on the new growth! Prune into a fantastic multi or single-stemmed tree form so you can enjoy the vibrant red blossoms on sunny porches, patios, and around seating areas! Even container gardeners and Northern gardeners can enjoy these plants! Simply trim them smaller and bring them indoors or onto a protected and sunny frost-free area for the winter!
- Brilliant Carmine-Red Flowers
- Rich Green Broadleaf Evergreen Foliage
- Screening or Specimen in Large Landscapes, Great in Containers
- Train as a Tree-Form or Let Sprawl as Groundcover
- Not Recommended for Use Near Stock Animals
- Teach Children to Leave Oleander Alone
#ProPlantTips for Care:
This broadleaf evergreen thrives in Zones 8- 11 and is well known for its ability to tolerate the harshest conditions, including drought, salt spray, reflected light from windows and painted walls, high heat, and high humidity. It grows in either acid or alkaline soils. The only thing that bothers these shrubs is frost, but they will regrow their lost leaves after a brief chill. They grow in full sun and partial shade locations equally well.
Red Oleander is as drought-tolerant as a landscape shrub or tree can be. Water regularly for the first year and less the next year and needs very little supplemental water from then on. In containers, Oleanders require regular watering and must be fed a general-purpose fertilizer at least twice a season.
The plant is adapted to almost all soils and can even tolerate brief periods of flooding. However, overwatering can lead to yellowing leaves. It is best to keep this arid native cultivar on the dry side with well-drained soil. Apply a 2-inch layer of arborist mulch under the plant each spring to retain moisture and control weeds.
Oleander Pruning
Oleander blooms on new wood, so early spring pruning to remove any winter-damaged tips and to control size and shape is the protocol. Deadhead the flowers to keep new blooms coming all season. You can prune it to encourage bushier growth and more flowers, and to reduce the size of the shrub. Remove damaged, crisscrossing, or dead branches to keep your plants healthy, and be sure to bag and remove pruned branches from the site. The limbs and leaves should not be used as firewood or the limbs to cook with!
Once your plants are 10 years old, start a regular maintenance program of rejuvenation pruning. in spring, cut 1/3 of the oldest trunks off at the ground level in spring and remove them from your property. In a three-year period, you'll have a brand-new shrub without losing valuable height.
- Full Sun
- Any Well-Drained Soil
- Salt-Tolerant & Works on the Coast
- Drought Tolerant Once Established
- "Plant It and Forget It" Tough
- Prune After Flowering in Spring
Vibrant red blooms and vigorous evergreen interest, the Red Oleander bush will add vibrant color to your garden and landscape! But only if you order today at NatureHills.com!
