Oleander - care and cultivation at home, flowering and types

Oleander is one of the exotic shrubs brought and cultivated in our country. This plant is used in greenhouses and winter gardens, as well as for decorating homes and offices. Despite its unusual appearance, oleander requires little care, and growing it indoors requires only simple guidelines to ensure abundant annual blooms, as shown in the photo.

Before purchasing a flower, you should familiarize yourself with information on its cultivation, and also be aware that the plant contains poison that can harm small children and pets.

Characteristics of common oleander and species diversity with names

Oleander is a shrub with evergreen foliage and fragrant flowers, growing in streets, gardens, and homes alike. Its natural habitat is subtropical climates. Beautifully flowering thickets can be found along the banks of bodies of water in Europe, China, and North Africa, as it requires ample moisture.

The following characteristic features of oleander can be distinguished:

• height depending on the variety is 1.5-3 meters;
• leaf color – dark green;
• branching stems of a brown hue;
• narrow leaves up to 3 cm wide are attached to the stem by short rootlets;
• the length of the foliage is 10-15 cm;
• flowers are large, five-petaled;
• the inflorescence is collected in a raceme;
• color range: white, pink, red, yellow;
• specific, distinct aroma during flowering.

In our country's climate, this bush can be grown indoors, providing year-round greenery and vibrant summer blooms. Common oleander, which comes in various varieties, is best cultivated for indoor growing.

The characteristics of the plant varieties shown in the photo are as follows:

• Rigoletto has double flowers of a pink hue, with twisted petals in the center of the flower;

  

• Petite Salmon is a dwarf plant with small peach-colored flowers;

  

• Mont Blanc is a profusely flowering bush with white, round-shaped flowers;

  

• Cardinal has a fruity aroma, the color of the flowers is raspberry, burgundy;

  

• Hardyred with deep red petals, slightly terry texture;

  

• Soleil Levant has pink flowers with yellow centers and a long-lasting fragrance;

  

• Variegata is characterized by the presence of double narrow elongated petals and a rich pink hue;

  

• Elegance has large flowers in shades from pink to peach, very fragrant.

  

Oleander is well suited for growing in gardens and on open terraces and balconies, although the presence of such greenery in the house can also decorate it at any time of year.

Difficulties in caring for oleander at home

Although oleander is an exotic plant, growing it at home is not a very labor-intensive process, but it does require certain care requirements for the bush, as well as the availability of free space for it.

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Flowering and its stimulation

Oleander is characterized by lush and fairly long flowering, which, when grown indoors, lasts from mid-June until late autumn. Throughout this time, the flower develops new ovaries and continues to bloom.

The flower's scent is quite strong during this period, so it's not recommended for rooms with children or people prone to allergies. This is often the reason the plant is buried in the garden during the summer. The flower tolerates these changes very well, and after flowering and being repotted, it continues to grow as before.

During the active growth period, regular weekly fertilization is required to stimulate flowering. You can apply complex and organic fertilizers, preferably 1-2 hours after watering. Typically, fertilize the plant once every three weeks. Special complex fertilizers can be purchased for this purpose. Before fertilizing, thoroughly moisten the soil. Oleander does not require fertilization during the fall and winter.

Soil for planting

After purchasing a flower from a store, it is recommended to repot it in a more suitable substrate. When planting, be sure to include a drainage layer at the bottom of the pot. The soil should consist of equal parts of turf soil with added humus and peat. A substrate consisting of equal parts humus and clay is also suitable.

When purchasing a substrate in a specialized store, you should give preference to the option for palms, it is most suitable for oleander.

Lighting

Oleander is a sun-loving plant; for its full development and growth, it requires plenty of light at any time of year. It's best grown on south-facing windowsills. It doesn't need shade, and in winter, supplemental lighting with special lamps is recommended, especially when daylight hours are short.

If the plant doesn't get enough light, its foliage begins to fade, and buds fail to appear or fall off before blooming. For summer, oleander is ideally placed on a balcony with plenty of light and fresh air.

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Air temperature and humidity

The optimal temperature for an ornamental shrub in winter is +150°C (312°F), but lower temperatures are generally fine; the plant is quite resilient and will survive even temperatures as high as +100°C (212°F). In spring and summer, temperatures between 22°C and 27°C (72°F to 79°F) are ideal for comfortable growth. A constant air flow is recommended, as is avoiding overheating in the scorching sun.

It's essential to mist the foliage during these periods, otherwise the leaf tips will begin to curl and dry out. During other periods, watering is not necessary.

Watering

For vigorous growth, the plant requires ample watering, especially in hot weather. If the room temperature where the plant is kept is below 200°C (400°F), watering 2-3 times a week is sufficient, depending on when the top layer of soil dries out.

For watering, it's best to use well-settled water at room temperature or slightly warm. Be sure not to let the oleander pot sit in water, as overwatering the soil can quickly cause the root system to rot.

Transplanting and pruning

Young plants should be repotted every year in early spring before the growing season begins, while mature plants 3-4 years old require this procedure every few years. Mature oleanders should be repotted into a new container, after trimming back any roots that have already taken over the entire pot. Larger plants don't require repotting; you can simply replace the top layer of soil with a more nutritious one.

To control the size and shape of the bush's crown, it should be pruned regularly. The plant not only tolerates this procedure well, but also requires it to ensure it blooms again the following year. Pruning to shape the foliage should be carried out only after the flowering period has ended.

Branches should be shortened by half if necessary; this will not cause any harm to the plant at all, but will allow new shoots to grow and give it a healthier and brighter appearance.

Methods of growing and propagating indoor flowers

There are several traditional ways to grow oleander: from seeds, cuttings, and air layering. You can purchase planting parts at specialty stores and greenhouses, and then use the same methods for propagating the plant.

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By cuttings

The bush produces young shoots in the fall and spring, which can be used to propagate this flower. The repotting technique is simple and consists of the following steps:

1. The roots are cut at the root, the preferred length is 10-15 cm.
2. The cut cuttings are placed in ordinary cool water until they take root.
3. The cut areas on the bush should be treated with ash or crushed activated carbon.
4. The cutting with roots is planted in a pot with substrate, watered and then fully grows as a new bush.

Since this plant typically produces a large number of young shoots, choosing some of them for replanting will not be difficult.

Air layering

This propagation method allows you to immediately obtain a strong plant that will grow quickly and vigorously. Air layering for oleander cultivation proceeds as follows:

• a suitable branch of the bush is selected and cuts are made in the top layer of bark;
• put sand in a plastic bag and wrap it around the cut areas;
• This sand needs to be moistened so that it constantly supplies moisture to the branch;
• after some time, roots will grow from the cuts;
• The branch is cut from the bush and transplanted into a prepared pot.

This method of propagating oleander does not require much time or skill, but will allow you to grow a new bush quite quickly.

Seeds

Perhaps the most labor-intensive and unreliable method for achieving positive results is propagating an indoor plant from seeds. This is primarily because the indoor climate must be as close as possible to the plant's natural habitat, which is quite problematic.

For planting, use store-bought seeds, which are usually treated with chemicals to increase their chances of germination. Follow these steps:

1. Soak the seeds for 50-60 minutes in a growth stimulator.
2. Fill a small box with palm substrate and place the seeds on the surface.
3. Cover the container with transparent film and place it in a warm place, preferably where the temperature is maintained at +300C and there is sufficient light.

   

4. Constant soil moisture and ventilation are required, but without sudden temperature changes and excess water.
5. The film is removed after the first sprouts appear.
6. Then watering is reduced, and young shoots are allowed to grow until several leaves form on them.
7. The finished sprouts are transplanted into a small pot with special soil.

The benefits and harms of oleander

Many people know about the medicinal properties of oleander, as well as its ability to kill with its poison. When growing this plant, it's important to know that both hypotheses have long been confirmed, but there are nuances to consider when choosing a bush as a home decoration or a therapeutic tool.

Is the plant poisonous or not?

All parts of this plant are poisonous, but the bush is harmless if cared for properly. The scent of the flowers can cause dizziness and nausea if the oleander is placed in a small, poorly ventilated room. It should not be placed in a bedroom or nursery, but it is perfect for large, spacious rooms as an interior decoration.

When pruning and replanting the plant, to protect yourself, wear protective equipment and avoid contact with exposed skin. For the same reason, avoid planting the bush in homes with children or animals, who might taste it and endanger themselves. In large quantities, the plant's poison can cause hallucinations, stomach upset, and even cardiac arrest.

Medicinal properties

The ornamental shrub contains beneficial components such as carobin, saponin, ursolic acid, and digitalin. These components make it possible to use the ornamental foliage as a component of medicinal preparations.

In folk medicine, the leaves and dried flowers of oleander are used for medicinal purposes:

• Ointment made from flowers is used in dermatology for insect bites to reduce itching;
• an infusion of the plant's leaves helps with headaches and toothaches;
• a decoction of flowers is used to treat nervous disorders;
• alcohol tincture is prescribed for muscle pain, diarrhea and vomiting;
• Oleander-based solutions are suitable for dilating blood vessels and relieving cramps when used regularly.

Frequently asked questions about growing

Oleander is a beautiful plant with fragrant flowers that can decorate your home and garden, creating a unique, exotic greenery. It can also be used medicinally, but caution should be exercised when using it, as the plant contains a poison that can be harmful to human health if used improperly.