Yellow Oleander Arrives - Apr 16, 2008
I travelled through France and Italy about six years ago and noticed nurseries were selling yellow flowering Oleanders. We didn't have this colour in Australia at that time so it was very exciting. I was surprising last week when Yellow flowering Oleanders arrived at our nursery without any fanfare. Usually when a new release plant is coming it is advertised in all the gardening magazines first .
But now that I think about it Oleanders have always been the quiet achievers in our gardens. They thrive without hand watering even during the drought and they flower non stop for at least 9 months. The new yellow flowering variety is just as good so you will need to find room for one in your garden too.
The problem with Oleanders is that most people plant them and don't prune them for the next 10 years. This causes them to grow into massive big shrubs 3 metres high by 3 metres wide. In Italy they prune them every season so they stay neat and compact. They even standardise them so they look like colourful lollipops popping up in the garden. Oleanders can also be grown in large pots and they are almost death proof.
Oleanders are poisonous if you eat the leaves or inhale the fumes if you burn the timber so you have to be sensible.
The new Yellow flowering Oleander is Called " Sunshine" and you will find it sitting quietly in your local garden centre now.
Tim Pickles is a horticulturist and director of Tim's Garden Centre 2 Queen St Campbelltown 46267022