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Oleander

The_Lazy_GardenerThe_Lazy_Gardener Posts: 165
in Problem solving
Hi, Is it normal this time of year for an Oleander 
to loose so many leaves? I put new compost in
a couple of weeks ago and feed it with fish blood and bone. It was doing really well and flowering more than it had in the last couple of years. 

Thanks. 

Fred
«13

Posts

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Are you giving it lots of extra water with all the heat?
  • BijdezeeBijdezee Posts: 1,484
    Mine is doing that too, always does. I think they do it more as they get mature. I believe it is lack of water but im giving it a good soak everyday. There are so many roots throughout the compost that the pot is full even though i potted it into a bigger one this spring. As they need protection in the winter I just don't have room for an even bigger pot so I have taken three cuttings in the hope that one will take and I can start all over again.
  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    Hello Fred

    I think maybe your Nerium is behaving in a normal way for evergreens originating from warmer climates .As the new leaves unfurl , some older ones detatch themselves .
    A classic case is Quercus ilex (Evergreen-Oak) from S.Europe ; leaf fall commences in Late June through to August . (A gardeners nightmare)!!!
  • The_Lazy_GardenerThe_Lazy_Gardener Posts: 165
    OK thank you. I thought over watering  might do this? 
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Those Quercus leaves certainly do, Paul - I have a forest of them, and they take years to compost too. My olive trees also do that, so I guess it’s pretty normal for oleanders as well.

    In the Med, Oleanders naturally grow wild next to river banks with their roots in damp silt, constantly sucking up water, but are also planted on motorway central reservations  in blazing sun with no apparent maintenance or watering. No idea how that works!


    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    Nollie

    That just demonstates the resilience of plants in general , amazing !
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Yes, they must be made of tougher stuff than we can imagine. I saw an amazing red one today, a huge spreading tree about 7 or 8 metres high, planted in someone’s front garden. Appreciate you may want to keep it a bit smaller than that Fred!
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • Mary370Mary370 Posts: 2,003
    That is a very pretty shrub
  • The_Lazy_GardenerThe_Lazy_Gardener Posts: 165
    edited June 2018
    Would like to plant it out, just don't have the room. It was my nan's, she had it for years. Must be over 20 years old, always been grown in a pot. 
  • BijdezeeBijdezee Posts: 1,484
    If your in the UK Fred then i would not plant it out unless you live in a consistently mild area in the winter. They are not fully hardy. 
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