Oleander Care
Nerium oleander
A long-flowering Mediterranean shrub very tolerant of drought and salt. Warning: all parts of the plant are poisonous; it should not be planted in children's play areas.
Monthly care calendar
Timings are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate. In warmer areas tasks start earlier, in colder areas later; in the Southern Hemisphere shift them by six months.
- Frost risk: In hard and prolonged frosts, cover the root zone with mulch or dry leaves; also protect young plants. It is damaged below about -8 °C.
- Frost risk: In hard and prolonged frosts, cover the root zone with mulch or dry leaves; also protect young plants. It is damaged below about -8 °C.
- Fertilizing: Apply a balanced fertilizer or well-rotted organic fertilizer once when it wakes from dormancy.
- Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
- Pests & diseases: Check the branches and trunk for brown, fixed bumps (scale insects).
- Watering: Water a newly planted specimen more often than established plants during its first year, as its root system is still shallow.
- General care: Good time for planting and transplanting.
- Watering: Water a newly planted specimen more often than established plants during its first year, as its root system is still shallow.
- Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
- General care: Suitable period for planting and transplanting. Flowering begins.
- Pests & diseases: Check the branches and trunk for brown, fixed bumps (scale insects).
- Watering: In a long drought, water deeply once a month.
- Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
- General care: Flowering continues.
- Pests & diseases: Look for cottony white clusters in the leaf axils (mealybugs).
- Watering: In midsummer, deep watering every 15-20 days is enough. Established plants (over 2 years old) do not need watering in most years. Water the area around the roots to a depth of 15-20 cm.
- Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
- General care: Flowering continues.
- Pests & diseases: Look for cottony white clusters in the leaf axils (mealybugs).
- Watering: In midsummer, deep watering every 15-20 days is enough. Established plants (over 2 years old) do not need watering in most years. Water the area around the roots to a depth of 15-20 cm.
- Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
- General care: Flowering continues.
- Pests & diseases: Look for cottony white clusters in the leaf axils (mealybugs).
- Watering: In a long drought, water deeply once a month.
- General care: Flowering continues.
- Watering: Water a newly planted specimen more often than established plants during its first year, as its root system is still shallow.
- Pruning: Prune as soon as flowering ends. Next year's flower buds form over the summer; late pruning reduces flowering. IT IS POISONOUS: wear gloves when pruning, do not burn the pruning waste (the smoke is also poisonous), and dispose of it where animals cannot reach.
- General care: Good time for planting and transplanting.
- General care: Evergreen leaves continue to lose water in winter. Water thoroughly once before the soil freezes.
- Frost risk: In hard and prolonged frosts, cover the root zone with mulch or dry leaves; also protect young plants. It is damaged below about -8 °C.
The care advice on this page is general and for information only; it is not professional advice. Plant age, soil and your garden’s microclimate can change the outcome. Plant protection products are mentioned only as general information; they are regulated, and the choice, dose and timing must be decided by a qualified professional under local rules. Consult a landscape architect or agronomist before applying.
Want reminders for every plant in your garden? Our garden-care app with monthly task lists and frost alerts is currently available in Turkish; the English version is on the way.
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