Oleander

I'm happiest in a terracotta or glazed pot in a warm sunny spot. I'm great for balconies or patios. I like sunny well-drained borders, but if you plant me in a border you really should consider leaving me in my pot so you can move me into a sheltered spot for winter. I won't be happy in a cold, shady, wet part of the garden, and my flowers will be very few in this type of spot.

Growing wild in the Mediterranean I can survive for long periods of drought, although then I won't have quite as many flowers. If I'm in a sunny border you can just leave me alone and I'll find enough water for my needs. If I'm in a pot you should give me a good drink every week between April and November, and then just once a month or so as I go dormant over winter.

* I AM HIGHLY TOXIC TO PEOPLE AND PETS IF EATEN *

I have a bitter taste and cause burning of the mouth and vomiting, and a single chew is usually sufficient to deter the ingestion of large amounts. However, you must be of no doubt that eating me is very dangerous.

My leaves can irritate the skin so you should wear gloves if you're handling me.

I can cause serious heart problems. There are accounts of my sap being used on the tips of poison arrows, and unsubstantiated accounts of Alexander the Great's soldiers falling ill after using oleander sticks as skewers for their food.

I haven't evolved any kind of tolerance to the British winter. Some textbooks say I'm safe down to -5C, and online tropical plant forums carry accounts of my oleander cousins surviving outside in the UK at a chilly -9C in a border. Other books say the slightest touch of frost will kill me. As always, the reality depends on your local micro-climate. To be safe, you should grow me in a pot which can be brought into a sheltered spot between December and February. I can go back outside on milder winter days provided the temperature stays above freezing. If you bring me inside I want a cool bright spot with minimal watering so I can fall dormant until the Spring. Be careful if you have a pet that like to chew plants.

Each year I can absorb up to 3/4  kg of CO2

 

That's about enough to:

• Fill 3/4 beach ball
• Drive a car for up to 1-and-a-half miles
• Make 12 cups of tea

 

*rough estimate using data sourced from:

haskins.co.uk

cogo.zendesk.com