Tropicals - Oleander
Back to Tropicals

  (March) I have an oleander tree (about 6 ft tall now) that I move outside at the end of March every year in Fayetteville. I have over-wintered it in the garage (it has done fine) and am wondering how I prune this plant to encourage flowering. The first year it flowered nicely. It gets about 4 hours of direct sunlight and about 4 hours of dappled sunlight. I have never pruned except some suckers and inside pointing twigs. Does it bloom on new growth or old growth? This will be the 4th year and it bloomed a little last year but less and less every year. Does it need to be fertilized? Help. 

  It does bloom on the new growth, so if you are not pruning it and it is containerized, it is probably maintaining a constant size, and flowering will be somewhat limited. Also, the more sunlight it gets, the better it will bloom. Repot it this spring when you move it out -- either putting it in a larger container, or replacing the old soil with fresh and breaking up any root-bound conditions. Then prune it back by one third or more. Fertilize monthly, and try to increase the light if you can. Hopefully, you will see an abundance of flowers this summer.

  (September) I live in Morrilton and I planted oleander this summer for the first time. Will it over-winter and do I need to do anything special for it? 

  Oleanders are a crap shoot. In a mild winter they will do fine through mid Arkansas, maybe even further north. In a cold winter, they usually won't survive past southern Arkansas. There are supposed to be some new varieties of oleander that are supposedly hardy through zone 6. I have planted some, but just this year, so I don't know if the claims are true or not. If you want to chance it this winter, make sure the plants are well mulched as they head into winter.

  (December) I have two large oleanders that I have kept on my outside deck all summer. They are in five gallon clay pots and they are each about five feet tall. Will these oleanders survive the winter on a covered porch? If so, do I need to wrap them or prepare them in any particular way? 

  If it is a covered porch, my guess is they will be protected enough. If the temperatures get extremely below freezing you may want to wrap the pots. These plants have overwintered in the ground outdoors in Arkansas, if it is a mild winter. In cold winters, they need extra help. I did buy an oleander this year which is supposed to be hardy to zone 6, so we will see how it does.

  We are former Californians who retired to northwest Arkansas in 1997. In the summer of 1998 we landscaped our front yard with several oleander bushes. They were in full bloom with pink flowers and did very well until the winter cold hit. Now they appear to be dead. Should we pull them out or is there a chance they will come back in the spring? 

  Oleander’s are iffy even in southern Arkansas, and should never be considered a permanent landscape plant in north Arkansas. I would lay odds that your plants are dead. Oleander’s do make great summer tropicals, but will need winter protection. They can be moved into a garage or storage building, if you don’t have room inside for the winter.

  I have had an oleander for about five years. It is about four feet tall but it has never bloomed. It is planted in large containers which I bring indoors in the winter. I put them out in the spring in mostly shade. Can I put it in the sun? I have seen them planted outdoors in south Mississippi, but I know they can’t be planted outside here. Any information you can share would be appreciated. 

  Oleander is a great summer tropical for the SUN. It isn’t blooming due to low light. Move it gradually to a full sun situation. Then water and fertilize with a water soluble fertilizer. Oleanders are extremely poisonous, but do bloom on the current season growth, so there is hope for flowers yet this year. They would not be realiably winter hardy anywhere in Arkansas, but extreme south.

Back to Tropicals