Oleander flower - home care

Oleander flower is a sun-loving subtropical shrub that grows green all year round. It is used for landscaping, growing in greenhouses and apartments. The flower is famous for its delicate pleasant aroma and beautiful flowers. The second name of the plant is "pink laurel".

Oleander indoor flower

Oleander nerium oleander is an evergreen perennial shrub with a magnificent appearance. He is a representative of the Kurtov family. The Latin name is "nerion", which translates as "wet". In warm regions, oleander, due to the variety of shapes and colors, has become a popular ornamental plant for landscape design.

Oleander in nature

There are three main types of oleander. At home, common oleander is more often cultivated. A beautiful flower perfectly decorates the home interior. The tall plant can reach two meters in height, taking on a tree-like shape. Indoor oleander growth should be controlled by pruning.

Oleander is credited with the mystical properties of purifying the energy of the house, getting rid of bad habits and promoting career success. The fact that the plant cleans the indoor air from harmful impurities is a proven scientific fact.

Strongly poisonous oleander, dangerous or not, no one knows for certain. It is known that the poison is found in the roots, flowers, leaves. It is advisable to wash your hands thoroughly after caring for the bush, wear gloves for pruning. These measures are sufficient for protection.

Oleander indoor

Only when eating parts of the oleander plant can symptoms of real poisoning appear. Therefore, the plant is not suitable for rooms where children and pets live.

The bush leaves are used as raw materials for the manufacture of drugs for diseases of the cardiovascular system. From the pomace of the plant, they produce creams and ointments for skin diseases.

Important! And because of the strong scent, the flowering plant cannot be kept in the bedroom. This can lead to poor sleep and headaches.

Origin and appearance

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The homeland of the evergreen shrub is considered the entire strip of the subtropical climate from Portugal to China. As an ornamental shrub, oleander is very popular in Mediterranean countries, Algeria and southeastern Asia. A sun-loving plant with a euphonious name and fragrant flowers fell in love with many flower growers.

Perennial oleander is widespread on the Black Sea coast. In open ground in a favorable subtropical climate, it can grow as a tree up to 4 m in height. Sometimes the bushes form whole thickets, exuding an amazing aroma.

Bloom

Oleander loves well-lit and ventilated areas. In the shade, the shrub begins to ache and even refuses to bloom.

The plant has beautiful flowers with five petals, painted in delicate white, orange, pink colors. They are arranged one at a time or collected in inflorescences and are formed throughout the summer. They are famous for their pleasant strong aroma. Flowers are simple and double. The leaves are narrow, smooth, green or variegated with a pronounced middle.

Types and varieties

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Blooming oleander fascinates with its beauty and aroma. Vacationers at the resorts of Crimea remember its smell for a long time.In many perfumes, notes of nerium oleander are guessed.

Additional Information. The noble flower has become a symbol of the city of Yalta.

Breeders have developed many beautiful new hybrid varieties with flowers of different shapes and colors.

White

It has large flowers, simple or double, collected in corymbose inflorescences. White oleander has a strong caramel smell. They love to grow it in office buildings.

White flower

It is believed that the plant relieves bad mood and improves performance.

Pink terry

Its velvety flowers are like small roses with a delicate delicate scent. Terry pink oleander enchants with its beauty, blooms until late autumn. By pruning, they give it the most varied shape.

Pink terry

Yellow

Large bright yellow flowers are partly reminiscent of bells. It is a hardy drought-resistant plant. Well tolerates light frosts, suitable for growing on balconies. In warm weather, yellow oleander in containers decorates the site beautifully.

Yellow flower

Star of Persia

Refers to elite varieties. The buds of the plant have a golden core and peach edges.

Scarlett

This is also one of the elite variegated varieties. The bud combines white and crimson colors.

Indian

It can grow up to 4 m in height. Has lush racemose inflorescences. The flowers are large: red, pink, yellow, white with a sweet smell. Blooms until late autumn.

Fragrant

This variety grows up to 50 cm. It is famous for its excellent aroma.

Additional Information. Oleander was the first flower to bloom in the radiation-contaminated lands of Hiroshima. It was a real miracle for the Japanese.

Planting oleander in a pot

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To grow oleander, you need to take care of suitable soil and flower pots of a certain size.

Soil for oleander

The soil for the plant is harvested from turf, leaf, humus, peat, sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1: 1. You can also use mildly acid garden soil or store-bought flower primer. It is important to take care of good drainage.

Pot size

The plant grows quickly, so the seedling container should be spacious, at least 6-7 liters. Every two years, the oleander is transplanted into a larger container. The condition of the root system can be used to determine if the plant needs a new pot.

Planting in pots

The container volume for an adult plant reaches 40 liters.

Reproduction of oleander

The plant propagates by cuttings, seeds and layering. The first two are the most common.

Cuttings

The easiest way to propagate oleander is by cuttings left after pruning. They are cut up to 15 cm long. To protect against decay, the slices must be treated with chopped charcoal and dried. Charcoal is also poured into the ground prepared for rooting. After planting in the ground, the root collars are sprinkled with sand so that rot does not appear. The pot should be kept in a well-lit place; it is undesirable to water the soil.

Rooting cuttings

If the cuttings need to be rooted in water, then the liquid is also disinfected with charcoal. In water, the first roots appear faster, after about a month. Then the cuttings are planted in pots with a prepared soil mixture. You need to propagate cuttings in a bright, warm room.

Growing from seeds

Growing nerium oleander from seeds is a more difficult and rare breeding method. Not all seeds have good germination; the process requires a certain temperature regime and illumination. In addition, seedlings may lose varietal characteristics.

Before planting, freshly harvested seeds are soaked for half an hour in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or fungicide. Then it is kept in a solution of Heteroauxin or Zircon for an hour. Prepare an earthen mixture as for an adult plant and sow the treated seeds.

For oleander seedlings, care should be most favorable:

illumination with artificial light;
airing the room;
optimal temperature and humid air;
regular watering.

Note! The seeds hatch within two weeks. After the appearance of 4-5 leaves, nerium oleander sprouts are seated in separate containers.

Oleander care

Taking care of the plant is not difficult. When keeping oleander as an indoor flower in a spacious, bright room and following simple rules of care, you can get a beautiful strong plant.

Oleander home care, basic rules:

Transfer. It is better to replant young plants every year, old ones every two to three years. At the same time, old roots are shortened and the size of the earthen coma is reduced. This will contribute to a more harmonious flowering. The new pot should be slightly larger than the old one, but not too large. Large oleanders are often not transplanted, but change the topsoil. A drainage layer of gravel, expanded clay and small stones is poured at the bottom of the pot. Then the plant is watered abundantly. Spring is the best time to transplant.
Regular pruning. This is an important part of oleander care. After all, flowers appear only on last year's shoots. Therefore, after flowering, it is necessary to do pruning. This forms a compact and neat shape. The branches should be cut to half or 2/3 of the entire length. They also remove vegetative shoots under the flower buds, which slow down the development of the bush. Regular autumn pruning promotes abundant flowering and a beautiful decorative look.
Lighting is a prerequisite for growing a thick and beautiful bush. With a lack of sunlight, the oleander begins to hurt, turn yellow, shed leaves, and stops blooming. Rooms with windows to the north are not very suitable for a home oleander. In winter, artificial lighting will not interfere with the plant.
Temperature. In summer, the temperature should be kept between 20 ̊ and 28 ̊C, as high as possible. In winter, the optimal temperature regime is 10-15 ̊С.
Diseases and pests of common oleander. The most common are scale insects, spider mites, worms, and aphids. Individual disease is cancer and sooty fungus.

Important! Cut branches and shoots must not be burned, as toxic substances are released during combustion.

Watering mode

Oleander tolerates the lack of moisture well, but develops less intensively than with regular watering. In spring and summer, the flower is watered more often and more abundantly, especially if it is large. You can monitor the frequency of watering by drying the top layer of the soil. In winter, watering is moderate and decreases with decreasing temperatures. Watering with cold water is not recommended. The water should be slightly warmer than the air in the room, well settled.

Top dressing

For fertilizing, complex fertilizers for indoor plants are used. During the period of spring-summer growth, fertilizers are applied every two weeks. Oleander loves organic matter, which is added when the plant is taken out into the open air in the summer. Top dressing is carried out an hour after watering.

During flowering

During flowering, oleander needs a temperature of at least 20 ̊С. An outdoor location protected from the elements would be the best. A pot with a plant can be dug in near an artificial reservoir, where the flower will feel extremely comfortable.

Flowering period

If a flowering bush is in the room, you need to ventilate it more often. The rich aroma can affect the well-being of people living in the room. The flowering phase lasts up to five months.

During the rest period

The resting period for oleander lasts from November to the end of February. It is important at this time to provide the plant with a temperature of 8 ̊ to 15 ̊С, reduce the number of waterings, and cancel feeding. During this time, the oleander will accumulate strength and will be ready to continue growing and flowering in the warm season. If the plant overwinters in a room with central heating, where the temperature is high and dry air, then it needs to be sprayed with cold water.

Preparing for winter

In warm regions where the shrub grows in open ground, the plant is completely covered with a film for the winter.It is more convenient to cover the trimmed oleander. At home, they observe the temperature regime and the required humidity.

With all the recommendations and good keeping conditions, the bush can grow up to 2 m in height and delight with lush flowering until late autumn.