Oleander — a low evergreen shrub with white or pink inflorescences, native to tropical and subtropical regions. It is also known as the Hiroshima flower because it was the first plant to recover and bloom after the nuclear bombing of the Japanese city. It is now grown for ornamental purposes in botanical gardens in Europe, Crimea, and the Caucasus, as well as on windowsills at home to admire its bright, large inflorescences. Caution is required when growing and caring for this houseplant, as it is poisonous from root to petal.
Description and varieties
In common parlance, the plant is often called "leander," "bad laurel," "pink laurel," "scarlet laurel," or "puffball." Based on the wild common oleander, with its large, five-petaled white and pink flowers, breeders have developed numerous ornamental cultivars: double, red, yellow, or variegated. The bush grows 3.5-4 m tall in the wild, and up to 2 m indoors. The leaves are bright green, long, needle-like, 10-14 cm long, with a distinct, central vein. The petioles are small, the stems are brown, and the bark of the skeletal stems is light gray.
When grown outdoors, flowering can be observed from June to September. Petals fall 1-2 weeks before the onset of cold weather. Indoors, if optimal conditions are created, buds form at any time of year. Common oleander is easy to care for: to ensure its development, it is sufficient to adjust the feeding and watering schedule and increase daylight hours. Artificially bred varieties are much more demanding.
Types of indoor oleander
For beginning gardeners, the easiest care is to grow an ornamental plant with light pink flowers, adapted to indoor conditions. Suitable varieties:
- Kivpi - most closely resembles a wild shrub;
- Double Peach - blooms with double coral-colored inflorescences;
- Martha Hannah Hensley - petals of original color, with dark veins, wavy edges.
White varieties, differing only in the shape of the calyx, thrive well. The five-petaled Hardy White and Sister Agnes, the latter with serrated petal edges, are among them. The double-flowered Album Plenum, with its bright yellow center, requires more watering. This coloring is unusual for a tropical shrub.
The orange-peach Sherry Allen Turner and Angelo Pucci have a contrasting center. However, the double Mrs. Roeding, in the same color, lacks such a distinctive feature in its lush blooms. The saffron-yellow varieties are the least cultivated; typical examples include Maria Gambetta, Matilda Ferrier, and Luteum Plenum.
Botanical gardens often publish photos of trees with bright red, lush clusters of flowers resembling small roses. In natural conditions, oleander often forms a single trunk and skeletal branches. However, in apartments, brightly flowered varieties do not grow taller than 1 meter. The most decorative of these is Rubis, while more modest varieties with five widely spaced petals include Sherry Ripe and Blue Blanc Red Dee.
For those interested in rare species, the best options are variegated ones. For example, Scarlett has bright crimson petals and a white center, or Star of Persia has a golden core and variegated, multi-colored, red, pink, and yellow edges. Fragrant oleander, however, is not grown indoors due to its thick, rich, intoxicating aroma. For decorating a spacious room, choose the Indian variety, whose trunk reaches 4 meters in height.
Rules for caring for oleander at home
As mentioned, this plant is poisonous, so it should not be used in areas where children and pets are present. Wear gloves when handling the plant—when repotting, handling, fertilizing, shaping, or pruning. Even when watering, gloves should be worn, as contact with exposed skin from the leaves can cause burns.
Avoid placing potted plants in bedrooms: during flowering, they emit a rich, pleasant aroma. However, prolonged exposure to the scent can cause toxicity, accompanied by adverse symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, and headaches.
How to grow oleander at home
If your living room faces south, this ornamental plant is a good choice for a multi-room space. Good lighting is key. If left in the shade for too long, the leaves will fade, the stems will lose their turgidity, the buds will stop forming, and when they open, they will quickly fall off. Keep in mind that oleander flowers fade quickly in stagnant air, so regular ventilation is necessary. When opening windows, close the doors to prevent drafts.
In warmer regions, once the average daily temperature reaches 20–25°C, it's best to move the potted ornamental shrub outside. If there's a pond in the area, it's a good idea to bury the plant nearby, along with the pot. This will help promote the plant's health. For those who don't have this option, it's recommended to open the windows more frequently in the summer and place a bucket of water next to the oleander. Fertilizing is essential for regular flowering: twice a month with a standard houseplant fertilizer is sufficient.
Temperature
During the active growing season, especially during flowering, temperatures should not drop below 20°C. In winter, when all the flowers have fallen, give the oleander a rest: reduce watering frequency and lower the temperature to 10-15°C. Ideally, place it on a glassed-in balcony. However, even under these conditions, it is necessary to extend daylight hours to 10 hours. Keep in mind that the plant has low frost resistance and will die from prolonged cold spells. Minimum temperatures: -5 to -10°C.
Watering
Like all tropical plants, oleander does not tolerate prolonged drought. However, watering should only occur when the soil has dried out to a depth of 1-1.5 cm. The root ball should always be kept moist.
Let the water settle for at least 24 hours beforehand. Remove all chlorine. During the warmer months, root watering is the preferred method of hydration. Some of the water should pass through the drainage system and remain in the tray. During the colder months, drain the water from the tray, hydrating it once every 10-12 days. If the water level is insufficient, leaf fall will occur. Drying leaf tips indicate a lack of moisture. After watering, the soil surface should be slightly loosened to ensure oxygen reaches the roots. Insufficient oxygen increases the risk of rot.
On hot days, misting should be added to regular watering. At home, place the pot in the bathtub, cover the soil with plastic wrap to prevent it from washing away, and water the leaves with a warm shower. A spray bottle will also suffice. Misting is necessary when heating appliances are running intensively. Wipe the leaves of dust at the same time.
Transfer
Repotting is done every 3-4 years. The pot diameter is increased by 3-4 cm compared to the old one. A sign that the plant needs to be repotted is roots appearing on the soil surface.
The root ball is lightly shaken, dried or broken shoots are removed, and the cut surfaces are sprinkled with activated charcoal or cauterized with medical antiseptics (brilliant green or a weak solution of potassium permanganate). However, the bulk of the soil is left intact.
Add a drainage layer to the bottom of the pot and lightly cover with new soil. When preparing the soil mixture, maintain the following ratio: 1 part sand, peat moss, leaf mold, humus, and 2 parts turf soil. Crushed charcoal is essential, as it helps prevent bacterial infections. Turn the root ball over, filling the spaces between the walls and the surface around the stems. Water the plant after repotting.
If a mature oleander blooms regularly, the roots haven't grown, but the soil is so dense that it can't be loosened, it needs to be refreshed. To do this, simply remove some soil from the edges of the pot and refresh the surface.
Pruning and shaping
Pruning is performed several times a year, when the dormant period ends in March-April, and in the fall, after the active growing season has ended. Be sure to wear gloves and goggles to prevent toxic sap from coming into contact with your skin or eyes. A sharp knife or pruning shears is required for pruning.
In spring, pinch the stem tips and remove some of the buds that form on one-year-old branches. Make a slanting cut, and treat the wounds with antiseptics such as activated charcoal or a manganese solution. Until the plant is three years old, spring pruning should be performed annually, and then every three years. At this time, shape the crown.
After flowering, the shoots with buds are pruned, removing two-thirds of the length. In their place, shoots covered with buds appear the following year.
Once every 3-4 years, perform a radical rejuvenation: prune old branches that no longer produce leaves or flowers. If you have to cut back 40-70% of the stems, there will be no flowering that year. The plant will require a long recovery period.
Diseases and pests
If signs of rot appear, remove damaged parts of the plant and repot the bush, replenishing the potting soil. It's advisable to treat it with phytoncides. Viral diseases, which cause spots and gray spots on the leaves and loss of stem tone, cannot be cured. In this case, the oleander should be disposed of to prevent infection of other plants.
If the soil hasn't been thoroughly disinfected, or if the ornamental shrub is infested with pests after being brought into the garden, it should be sprayed with insecticides. The instructions for propagation are detailed. Insects that threaten oleander in Russia include mealybugs, scale insects, and spider mites. Their presence is indicated by a white or brown coating covering the leaves.
Reproduction
If you want to share rare varieties or expand your own collection, you can use the following methods to grow new specimens:
- Cuttings. Take root shoots and plant them in moist soil or water. Once roots appear, transplant to a pot.
- Air layering. A cut is made in the bark of a young shoot 10 cm below the apex and the area is covered with plastic wrap soaked in damp sand or sphagnum moss. Roots usually appear within a month. Once they have strengthened, the branch is cut from the mother plant and rooted in the usual manner.
- Division: In this case, the root ball is cut during replanting. Growth buds should remain on all parts.
To enjoy new varieties, they are grown from seeds. Although they are industrially treated to increase germination, at home they should be soaked in water with a growth stimulant (Zircon or Epin). They are then placed in a planting container with a 1:1 mixture of peat and sand, covered with plastic wrap. The container is kept in a warm place at a temperature of at least 30°C. The substrate is periodically moistened, and daylight hours are increased, as for an adult plant. Regular ventilation is provided to prevent the seeds from rotting. Once they germinate, the plastic wrap is removed.
If oleander doesn't receive favorable conditions, it won't bloom. Cool temperatures, intense heat, short daylight hours, a pot that's too large or too small, and a lack of nutrients can all impede bud formation. You can only enjoy the blooms with proper care.
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