Nerium–commonly called Oleander–is an evergreen shrub that bears single or double flowers in various shades of white, yellow, pink, red, or purple from mid-spring to late summer. Nerium has narrow, lance-shaped leaves that are leathery and borne in opposite pairs or whorls.
Nerium is a good choice for informal hedges, shrub borders, and screen plantings. It holds up well as a street planting. Where Nerium is not hardy, it can be grown in a cool greenhouse and moved outdoors in summer.
All parts of Nerium are highly toxic if ingested; contact with the foliage can irritate the skin.
Nerium is a genus of one species. It is native to seasonally dry stream beds and margins in the Mediterranean and China.
Get to Know Nerium
- Plant type: Evergreen summer- or fall-blooming shrub
- Growing Zones and range: Zones 5 to 7
- Hardiness: Half-hardy
- Height and width: 3 to 12 feet (1-3.6m) tall and wide
- Growth rate: Moderate to fast
- Form and habit: Broad and bulky
- Foliage: Large, narrow, lance-shaped, evergreen leaves
- Flowers: Single or double blooms are funnel-shaped white, yellow, pink, and red
- Bloom time: Mid-spring to late summer
- Uses: Hedges, screens, xeriscaping, seaside, desert
- Common name: Oleander
- Botanical name: Nerium oleander
- Family: Apocynaceae
- Origin: Mediterranean to China
Where to Plant Nerium
- Plant Nerium in full sun. Will tolerate light shade. Nerium thrives in the bright, reflected light typical of waterside or desert gardens.
- Nerium will grow in nearly any soil. Nerium will tolerate soils that are dry, salty, or waterlogged.
When to Plant Nerium
- Set established Nerium plants in the garden in spring or fall.
Planting and Spacing Nerium
- Space Nerium 3 to 12 feet apart depending on the variety.
How to Water and Feed Nerium
- Nerium needs little to no water once established. Water oleander regularly until established. Water sparingly in winter.
- Nerium needs little if any fertilizer; give plants a slow-release fertilizer in spring.
Nerium Care
- Prune Nerium by half in winter to promote new growth. To re-establish the form of rangy plants prune Nerium hard in winter.
- Nerium is ordinarily broad and bulky but easily trained into single- or multitrunked tree.
- Nerium flowers on new grows, so cut some stems of smaller types back to the ground and remove selected branches of larger types.
Growing Nerium as a Houseplant
- Grow Nerium where the temperature is average, light is direct and humidity is average to high.
- In winter, plants benefit from cool temperatures.
- Plant Nerium in a soilless growing medium and keep the medium evenly moist at all times.
- Fertilize Nerium every two weeks while plants are growing and flowering.
- Prune back plants after they have flowered and pinch growing tips to keep the plants compact.
Nerium Pests and Diseases
- Nerium are susceptible to attacks by scale insects, spider mites, caterpillars, aphids. Prune off infested leaves and branches.
- Backterial knot (gall) and dieback can also be tomorrow.
- Leaf spot can occur.
- Keep prungings, dead leaves away from hay or other animal feed; don’t use wood for barbecue fires or skewers. Smoke from burning can cause severe irritation.
Nerium Propagation
- Take and root Nerium tip cuttings anytime in the growing season.
Nerium Varieties to Grow
- Nerium oleander, Oleander, Rose bay, tall, erect to spreading shrub or small tree with lance-shaped, deep green to grayish green leaves, 2.5-8 inches (6-20cm) long. In summer, bears cymes of up to 80 pink, red, or white flowers, 1.5-2 inches (3-5cm) across. To 6-20 feet (2-6m) tall and 3-10 feet (1-3m) wide. East Mediterranean (possibly to West China); widely naturalized. Varieties vary in size from 3 to 20 feet tall. Some varieties are more sensitive to frost than others. Commonly grown varieties include the following:
- ‘Double Sister Agnes’ has double-white fragrant flowers.
- ‘Mrs. George Roeding’ is dwarf with salmon-pink flowers.
- ‘Petite Pink’ is a dwarf with single pink flowers.
- ‘Red Velvet’ bears dark red flowers.
