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In the Gardens

Common Oleander, Rose Bay

Nerium oleander

Bloom time

From May to August.

Characteristics

The shrub grows up to 3 m (10‘) tall. The twigs grow upright; the leaves are long, narrow and leathery. Its numerous blooms are mostly white or pink and resemble little wheels for its five pet-als that are curved clockwise. You may also find strong red flowering, decorative cultivars that use to be stuffed.

Site:

The Common Oleander grows mainly in the south up to an altitude of about 400 m (440 yd.). It prefers a dry and sunny climate and is culti-vated at roadsides or on traffic islands. More-over you find it decorating parks and gardens.

Interesting to know:

In its natural habitat, the Mediterranean re-gions, the Common Oleander grows frequently at courses of rivers that dry out seasonally. Al-ready in the ancient world Common Oleander was recognized as an ornamental plant. Depic-tions of the shrub are to be found on Cretan murals dating from the 14th century BC and in Pompeii. Cross-breedings with the fragrant Sweet-scented Oleander (Nerium odorum) from India produced intensively smelling spe-cies. The Common Oleander plant contains substances that could cause cardiac arrest. In South France the pulverized bark is used as rat poison. Even wood and leaves are poisonous.

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