Oleander
Nerium oleander · Apocynaceae Popular
A large evergreen with narrow, leathery leaves and clusters of pink, red or white flowers from early summer to autumn. It thrives on heat, drought, salt and neglect.
- Size
- 10 ft tall, 10 ft wide
- Zones
- 8 to 10
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Mid June to early October
- Pets
- Toxic (severe)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around oleander
The planner designed this bed around oleander when this page was made: a 22 × 10 ft (6.7 × 3.0 m) English border in zone 8, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 872 that suit those conditions, and says below why oleander stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Oleander × 1, pink
- 2 Yellow ice plant × 16, yellow
- 3 Carpathian bellflower 'Blue Clips' × 11, blue
- 4 Indian grass × 3, tan
- 5 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 3, purple
- 6 White mugwort × 3, cream
- 7 Palm sedge × 5, green leaves
- 8 Betony 'Hummelo' × 3, purple
- 9 Butterfly weed × 3, orange
- 10 Creeping phlox × 8, white
- 11 Coneflower 'Green Jewel' × 8, green
- 12 Daffodil 'Tete-a-Tete' × 19, yellow
- 13 Snowdrop × 13, white
Why this plant
- The only pink.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do Indian grass and palm sedge.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 10 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to Tatarian aster 'Jindai' (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for 17 weeks. From mid June to early October.
- Part of the bed's peak. With Carpathian bellflower 'Blue Clips', betony 'Hummelo', butterfly weed and others in early July: 5 kinds at once. No week has more.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as an English border: 14 of the 17 groups (82%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Something is in flower for 36 weeks, from early March to early November. The longest in flower is oleander: 17 weeks, from mid June to early October.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 5 Good, 1 Satisfactory.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where oleander goes in a border
At 10 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is super tall (over 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
Among the toughest flowering shrubs for hot climates, and among the most poisonous plants in gardens. Do not plant it where children or animals could chew it.
- Screening in hot, dry climates
- Coastal and roadside planting
- Large containers
What to plant with oleander
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Rosemary: flowers first, early March to early May, so the spot is never empty; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (4 ft) to stand in front of it.
- Mexican bush sage: in flower together for five weeks, from early September; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (4 ft) to stand in front of it.
- African lily: in flower together for seven weeks, from late June; low enough (3 ft) to stand in front of it.
Questions about oleander
Does oleander need sun or shade?
Oleander grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does oleander grow in?
USDA zones 8 to 10. It is hardy to zone 8, which means it survives winter nights down to about 20 °F (−7 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does oleander flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid June to early October. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 8 | Early June to early October |
|---|---|
| Zone 9 | Late May to early October |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should oleander be planted?
6½ ft (200 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 10 ft (300 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 10 ft (300 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many oleander plants do I need?
Usually one. At 6½ ft (200 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 6½ ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is oleander poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: severe toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. Every part is extremely poisonous: a single leaf can be fatal if eaten. The sap irritates skin, and the smoke from burning prunings is poisonous.
Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like oleander?
These come closest to doing what oleander does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Japanese pittosporum: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers mid April to mid May, white, not pink.
- Rose of Sharon 'Blue Chiffon': the same job in a bed; 20 in narrower, flowers mid July to mid September.
- English rose: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 6 ft shorter, 3½ ft narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat oleander?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after oleander?
Oleander is over by early October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Sasanqua camellia: from early October to mid December, 8 ft tall.
- Swamp sunflower: from late September to late October, 6½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn': from early November to late December, 10 ft tall.
What does oleander look like in winter?
Oleander keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
Is oleander good for bees and butterflies?
Oleander is visited by butterflies.
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 10 ft (300 cm) tall, 10 ft (300 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6½ ft (200 cm) apart
- Height class
- Super tall (over 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Mid June to early October; dense clusters; pink, red, white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 8 to 10
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Comes from
- Europe, Asia
- Attracts
- Butterflies
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought, heat, salt, poor soil, pollution
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.