Oleanders, strewn with flowers of various colors in the heat, have long been a symbol of an unforgettable wonderful holiday. Perhaps only Lagerstroemia and Hibiscus syriacus, blooming at the same time, will dare to challenge the palm of this beautiful evergreen shrub.
Oleanders, strewn with hundreds of flowers that look like miniature roses or camellias, are really luxurious. Currently, oleander cultivars can boast double flowers and a rich palette of colors — white, pink, red, orange and yellow. Varieties with pink petals are in the lead — more than 50%. It is quite possible that the ancestor of the current cultivars had flowers of exactly this shade.
There are many fewer varieties with white flowers, but they are in demand among gardeners, because they look restrained and refined. Even less often you can find oleanders with petals of all shades of red, the catchy beauty of which is impossible not to notice.
It is not surprising that oleanders are in demand in the south in a variety of elements of landscape design. They are able to cope with the design of the front area, frame the stairs, enlivening the gray concrete marches with bright colors. The pet of the sun, heat and water is planted near reservoirs and in recreation areas.
It is beautiful both in groups and in solitary planting, because even one oleander bush often plays an accent role. And the green background of ornamental shrubs gives him the opportunity to show himself in all his glory.
Oleander hedges are uniquely beautiful. And since this shrub is not afraid of sea spray and aerosols, it is planted by the sea.
The magnificent oleander is alien to pride — it will not mind the neighborhood of other plants worthy of its beauty. A good match for him will be the queen of flowers herself — a rose. Lavandula angustifolia can make a lovely fragrant oleander company, it looks especially impressive in a duet with white-flowered varieties. Moreover, its recognizable aroma will be successfully complemented by a peculiar, bitter smell of some varieties of evergreen beauty.
The most common varieties
Choosing the most beautiful oleander cultivars is quite difficult. Everyone has their own beauty criteria, so I’ll just show you the most spectacular varieties, and you will determine the winner of this company yourself. Agreed?
‘Adalary’
A shrub up to 3 m high with a dense straight-growing crown.
The buds are elongated, dark pink. The flowers are light pink, with a slightly wavy edge, 6 cm in diameter; the fragrance is bitter. It will cope with the role of the summer dominant in single and group plantings.
‘Album Maximum’
A large shrub up to 3 m high with a beautiful rounded crown. During the period of mass flowering from afar commemorates snowdrifts in the middle of summer.
The flowers are immaculately white, non-double, with a faint bitter smell. A wonderful variety for large and small groups, alleys and for the role of a medium-sized tapeworm.
‘Album Plenum’
A shrub 2-3 m high with an unusual obovate crown.
The flowers are white, double, with 2-3 corollas, without fragrance. A luxurious variety for tapeworm and group plantings.
‘Amabile’
A shrub 2 m high with a loose spreading crown.
The flowers are bright pink, with 2 corollas, with a strong almond aroma. A spectacular plant for small groups.
‘Edouard Andre’
A shrub 2-2.5 m high with a thick drooping crown.
The flowers are large, light pink, with a faint bitter smell. Suitable for all types of plantings.
‘Gursuvita’
Shrub up to 2 m high with a loose crown.
The flowers are pink, 6 cm in diameter, non-double, with a faint bitter aroma. It can be used for single and group plantings, for the device of beautifully flowering hedges.
‘Luteum Plenum’
The shrub is 3 m high. The crown is loose, erect.
The flowers are creamy yellow, with 2-3 corollas, with a spicy aroma. It can be used for all types of plantings, but first of all — for solitary.
‘Magnelone’
A shrub 2-3 m high with a loose, slightly drooping crown.
The flowers are broad-ringed, light cream, with a yellow throat; the aroma is bitter-sweet, weak. Suitable for solitary and group plantings, beautifully flowering hedges.
‘Nick’
Shrub up to 2.5 m high with a thick spreading crown.
The flowers are carmine pink, simple, single-row corolla, 5-6 cm in diameter; with an average spicy aroma.
‘Professor Parlatore’
Shrub up to 3 m high with a thick drooping crown.
The flowers are large, 6-7 cm in diameter, from light to reddish-pink (the difference in the color of the petals is often visible within one inflorescence). A characteristic feature of the variety is white strokes, spots on the petals. Terry, 3-4 corollas; one of the most fragrant varieties is the spicy smell. Suitable for all types of plantings, first of all — for single, accent.
‘Roseum’
A shrub 2-2.5 m high with a dense erect crown.
The flowers are pink, simple, 5-6 cm in diameter; with a faint aroma. Summer dominant for accent landings. It is interesting in groups, hedges, in planting along stairs. It is good to decorate the southern open terrace with tub copies.
‘Splendidissimum’
Shrub up to 3 m high with a thick drooping crown.
The flowers are light pink, with 2 corollas, the smell is spicy. Suitable for all types of plantings.
In the conditions of the middle strip, oleanders cannot be grown in the open ground even with shelter, but this is not a reason to abandon such wonderful plants! They grow and bloom beautifully in pots and containers.
Despite the amazing beauty of the flowers, oleander is not used for bouquets, and its toxicity is to blame. Juice that gets inside the body can cause poisoning, and in the eyes — a serious visual disorder. But if you do not tear (and even more so — do not chew) leaves, flowers, then everything will be fine. This shrub is intended exclusively for admiring them.
Well, now it’s time to sum up: which of the varieties did you like the most? Do you think it will become a worthy decoration of the house?
Leave a Reply