{"title":"Oleanders (Nerium)","description":"\u003cp\u003eOleander is one of the oldest ornamental shrubs in cultivation, grown around the Mediterranean since antiquity and carried into the American South for the same reasons: the plants bloom for months in heat that flattens everything else, shrug off drought and salt wind, and ask for almost nothing. A hedge of oleander along a hot drive or a coastal lot will flower from late spring until frost in white, cream, salmon, pink, and deep red, single or fully double.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne honest caution comes with all of that, and belongs stated plainly: every part of an oleander is seriously toxic if eaten, and the smoke from burning prunings is dangerous too. Site the plants well away from pastures, play areas, and anywhere clippings might end up on a fire, and wear gloves when cutting. Handled with that in mind, few shrubs give so much for so little water. The selections here are the hardier ones, which in the upper South means expecting dieback in a hard winter and strong regrowth from the base.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"nerium-oleander-double-yellow","title":"Nerium oleander 'Double Yellow'","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe hardiest yellow oleander in cultivation, and one of the very few oleanders that come in yellow at all. Of the four hundred and more named cultivars of \u003cem\u003eNerium oleander\u003c\/em\u003e, the genus runs naturally to white, pink, and red; yellow is the aberration, and a fully double yellow rarer still. 'Double Yellow' is the old French selection that fixed the color.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cold-hardiness is no idle claim. After the 1984 freeze that drove temperatures to nine below zero Fahrenheit across much of the Southeast, the nursery Plant Delights surveyed which oleanders had come through. Most had not. This selection had, burned hard but back the following spring in full vigor, and the reputation has held ever since. 'Double Yellow' is reliable through zone 8 in the open and root-hardy through zone 7b with shelter, where the top dies back and resprouts to bloom on new wood the same season. Plants at Aiken reach eight feet and stay evergreen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe flowers are soft primrose to buttery yellow, fully double and rose-like, lightly fragrant, borne in clusters at the branch tips from late June through September, over glossy dark green leathery leaves in whorls of three. Heat-tolerant, drought-tolerant, salt-tolerant, deer- and rabbit-proof, and indifferent to lean soil, this is the classic Mediterranean coastal plant doing exactly what a Mediterranean coastal plant does.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA toxicity note belongs in every oleander listing: all parts contain cardiac glycosides and are poisonous if eaten. The practical garden risk is low, since the bitterness keeps animals off and human cases are rare, and as the old Woodlanders catalog has always put it, oleander is poisonous but not likely to be ingested except by beach goers who choose oleander sticks to cook wieners. In short, do not grill on an oleander stick.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne for the southern coastal gardener, the heat-and-drought designer, the container gardener north of zone 8 willing to overwinter a tub indoors, or anyone who has ever been told that yellow oleanders do not really exist. Give full sun and sharp drainage, cut back hard in late winter to renew, and site away from where children or livestock might nibble.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057927426163,"sku":"NERI-OLEA-DOUB-YELL-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-459.jpg?v=1720139761"},{"product_id":"nerium-oleander-hardy-pink","title":"Nerium oleander 'Hardy Pink'","description":"\u003cp\u003eOleander, \u003cem\u003eNerium oleander\u003c\/em\u003e, is the great sun-loving evergreen of the Mediterranean, grown since antiquity for a long summer of bloom, with dark green, leathery, lance-shaped leaves in whorls of three along long, sparingly branched stems. 'Hardy Pink' is one of the cold-tougher selections, carrying showy, lightly fragrant clusters of clear rose-pink flowers from late spring well into fall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFew shrubs are so at home in heat and hardship. Oleander has graced Mediterranean gardens since Roman times, turns up in the wall paintings of Pompeii, and thrives on blazing sun, drought, lean soil, and salt spray. 'Hardy Pink' pushes that range a little colder than most: reliable through zone 8 and root-hardy toward zone 7 with shelter, where the top dies back in a hard winter and resprouts to bloom on new wood the same season, so gardeners at the cold edge of oleander country can still have the rose-pink show.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne caution belongs in every oleander listing: all parts of the plant are poisonous, holding cardiac glycosides that are dangerous if eaten. The practical garden risk is low, since the intense bitterness keeps animals and people off, and as the old Woodlanders catalog has always put it, oleander is poisonous but not likely to be ingested except by beach goers who choose oleander sticks to cook wieners. The moral is simple: never grill on an oleander stick, and site the shrub away from where small children or livestock might nibble.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGive 'Hardy Pink' full sun and well-drained soil and put the shrub to work as a fast informal hedge, a screen, a sunny border anchor, or a large container on a hot terrace. The clear rose-pink flowers carry a long summer against the dark green foliage, drought and salt are shrugged off, and deer and rabbits leave the bitter leaves alone. A hard late-winter prune keeps an old plant dense and full of bloom.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057927557235,"sku":"NERI-OLEA-HARD-PINK-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-457.jpg?v=1720139765"},{"product_id":"nerium-oleander-hardy-red","title":"Nerium oleander 'Hardy Red'","description":"\u003cp\u003eOleander, \u003cem\u003eNerium oleander\u003c\/em\u003e, is the great sun-loving evergreen of the Mediterranean, grown since antiquity for a long summer of bloom, with dark green, leathery, lance-shaped leaves in whorls of three along long, sparingly branched stems. 'Hardy Red' is one of the cold-tougher selections, carrying showy, lightly fragrant clusters of bright red flowers from late spring well into fall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFew shrubs are so at home in heat and hardship. Oleander has graced Mediterranean gardens since Roman times, turns up in the wall paintings of Pompeii, and thrives on blazing sun, drought, lean soil, and salt spray. 'Hardy Red' carries that toughness a little colder than most: reliable through zone 8 and root-hardy toward zone 7 with shelter, where the top dies back in a hard winter and resprouts to bloom on new wood the same season, so the bright red show reaches gardens at the cold edge of oleander country.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne caution belongs in every oleander listing: all parts of the plant are poisonous, holding cardiac glycosides that are dangerous if eaten. The practical garden risk is low, since the intense bitterness keeps animals and people off, and as the old Woodlanders catalog has always put it, oleander is poisonous but not likely to be ingested except by beach goers who choose oleander sticks to cook wieners. The moral is simple: never grill on an oleander stick, and site the shrub away from where small children or livestock might nibble.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGive 'Hardy Red' full sun and well-drained soil and put the shrub to work as a fast informal hedge, a screen, a bold sunny-border anchor, or a large container on a hot terrace, where the hot red flowers blaze against the dark green foliage. Drought and salt are shrugged off, deer and rabbits leave the bitter leaves alone, and a hard late-winter prune keeps an old plant dense and full of bloom.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057927688307,"sku":"NERI-OLEA-HARD-RED-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-458.jpg?v=1720139769"},{"product_id":"nerium-oleander-white","title":"Nerium oleander 'White'","description":"\u003cp\u003eNerium oleander is among the oldest shrubs in cultivation, grown around the Mediterranean since antiquity and named from the Greek neros, watery, for the streamsides and washes where oleander grows wild. The dark green, leathery, lance-shaped leaves sit in tidy whorls of three along long, sparingly branched stems, lending the shrub a clean, upright presence in every season.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis form flowers pure white, the clusters opening in early summer and continuing over a long season, softly fragrant and luminous at dusk. White oleander has a cooling, formal quality that plain green foliage sets off beautifully, and the color reads especially well in bright seaside light.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOleander has always been kept at arm's length. Every part of the plant is poisonous, a caution carried in old folk warnings against whittling oleander wood into skewers for cooking over a fire. That toxicity is also what makes the shrub reliably deer-resistant and one of the most trouble-free plants for hot, exposed ground.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the landscape, white oleander makes an excellent large evergreen for hedges, screens, and coastal plantings, tolerating salt spray, drought, and reflected heat once established. In colder regions grow the shrub in containers and move under shelter for winter. Pair with silver-leaved Mediterranean companions such as lavender and rosemary, or use as a bright backdrop to deeper-colored borders.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057927753843,"sku":"NERI-OLEA-WHIT-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/Nerium_Oleander_White_Woodlanders-2.jpg?v=1750634378"},{"product_id":"nerium-oleander-salmon","title":"Nerium oleander 'Salmon'","description":"\u003cp\u003eFew shrubs carry as much history as the oleander, grown around the Mediterranean and across the warm world since antiquity. The name Nerium traces to the Greek neros, meaning moist or watery, a nod to the streamsides and dry watercourses where oleander naturally takes hold, while the old name oleander seems to braid together olea, the olive, and the leathery, lance-shaped leaves the two plants share. Those dark green leaves stand in tidy whorls of three along long, sparingly branched stems, giving the shrub a poised, upright architecture even out of flower.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis particular selection is a Woodlanders introduction, a double-flowered form with soft salmon-pink blooms propagated from a cultivated plant in Argentina. Robert Christian reports that 'Salmon' has proven winter hardy in Birmingham, Alabama, a welcome note of toughness in a genus usually pinned to the Deep South and the coast. Through much of the summer the flower clusters open in loose, ruffled profusion, lightly fragrant and carried well above the foliage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOleander has always been admired at arm's length. Every part of the plant is poisonous, a fact folded into old cautionary lore, including the grim warning against ever whittling an oleander branch into a skewer for cooking over a fire. That toxicity is also why deer leave the shrub alone, and why oleander has served for centuries as a fearless, undemanding plant for hot, difficult places.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the garden, 'Salmon' earns a place as a large, sun-loving evergreen for hedging, screening, and seaside plantings, shrugging off salt spray, drought, and reflected heat once established. In colder regions gardeners grow oleander in containers and shelter the shrub over winter. Pair with other Mediterranean companions such as rosemary, lavender, and agave for a planting that reads warm, dry, and effortless.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057927852147,"sku":"NERI-OLEA-SALM-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-1799.jpg?v=1720139777"},{"product_id":"nerium-oleander-double-pink","title":"Nerium oleander 'Double Pink'","description":"\u003cp\u003eOleander, \u003cem\u003eNerium oleander\u003c\/em\u003e, is a large, sun-loving evergreen shrub of the Mediterranean, grown since antiquity for a long, generous summer of bloom. Dark green, leathery, lance-shaped leaves ride in whorls of three along the long, sparingly branched stems, and from late spring well into fall the branch tips carry showy, lightly fragrant flower clusters. 'Double Pink' bears fully double, rose-like flowers in a soft, warm pink.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFew shrubs are so at home in heat and hardship. Oleander has graced Mediterranean gardens since Roman times, turns up in the wall paintings of Pompeii, and thrives on exactly the conditions that defeat softer plants: blazing sun, drought, lean soil, and salt spray off the sea. That toughness makes the shrub a mainstay of coastal and roadside plantings across the warm world, and in colder climates a fine tub plant to summer outdoors and shelter under glass for winter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne caution belongs in every oleander listing: all parts of the plant are poisonous, holding cardiac glycosides that are dangerous if eaten. The practical garden risk is low, since the intense bitterness keeps animals and people off, and as the old Woodlanders catalog has always put it, oleander is poisonous but not likely to be ingested except by beach goers who choose oleander sticks to cook wieners. The moral is simple: never grill on an oleander stick, and site the shrub away from where small children or livestock might nibble.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGive 'Double Pink' full sun and well-drained soil and let the shrub do what oleander does best: a fast informal hedge, a screen, a sunny border anchor, or a large container on a hot terrace. The soft double pink flowers cool a bright summer scheme and read beautifully against the dark green foliage. Deer and rabbits leave the bitter leaves alone, drought and salt are shrugged off, and a hard late-winter prune keeps an old plant dense and full of bloom.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057927950451,"sku":"NERI-OLEA-DOUB-PINK-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/C3724695-14EC-447C-AD37-C63F17F334E4.jpg?v=1724938446"},{"product_id":"nerium-oleander-variegata","title":"Nerium oleander 'Variegata'","description":"\u003cp\u003eNerium oleander has been grown around the Mediterranean since antiquity, the name Nerium drawn from the Greek neros, watery, for the streamsides where the shrub grows wild. 'Variegata' brings that ancient toughness together with luminous foliage: narrow, leathery leaves edged in creamy white around a deep green center, held in whorls along the stems so the whole shrub seems lightly frosted even when out of flower.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough summer the shrub carries soft pink blooms in showy clusters at the branch tips, funnel-shaped and lightly ruffled, standing out against the pale-margined leaves. The effect is cooler and more refined than the plain green forms, the variegation lifting the color even on overcast days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLike all oleanders, 'Variegata' is admired at a careful distance. Every part of the plant is poisonous, a trait that has followed oleander through centuries of cautionary lore and that conveniently keeps browsing deer away. That same resilience makes the shrub a dependable performer in hot, dry, and coastal settings where little else stays evergreen.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrow 'Variegata' where the foliage can do its quiet work: as a bright screen, a container specimen, or a foliage anchor in a warm border, ideally in full sun to hold the crispest leaf color. Pair with lantana, rosemary, or other drought-tolerant companions, and in cold-winter regions move potted plants to shelter before hard frost.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057928409203,"sku":"NERI-OLEA-VARI-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/Nerium-oleander-Variegata.jpg?v=1736789415"}],"url":"https:\/\/woodlanders.net\/collections\/oleanders.oembed","provider":"Woodlanders","version":"1.0","type":"link"}