The bushy, lushly blooming oleander plant brings Mediterranean flair to the terrace and garden. Proper care and regular pruning are crucial for flower formation. We will explain to you in detail how to cut the oleander in spring and autumn and what you need to take into account to promote rapid growth. We also provide you with a sketch showing the different cutting shapes. This is how you keep your exotic-looking shrub in shape. And for inspiration, we will also show you some beautiful gardens where the oleander plays the main role.
Cutting oleander: proper care
The oleander is an evergreen, white, pink, light yellow or red flowering perennial from the Mediterranean region. The shrub grows bushy, has three or four main shoots and can grow up to 3 meters high. A sunny location, regular watering with tempered tap water and a loamy substrate promote flower formation in the summer months. Because the plant doesn'tis hardyand can only tolerate light frost, it must be moved to a warmer location at the end of autumn. A greenhouse or winter garden is perfect for this purpose.
Here are the most important care tips that will ensure your oleander grows quickly.
The right locationis the direct sun. If you have a container plant, you can display it on the patio in a sheltered spot from the wind. During the flowering period from May to September, the shrub must also be protected from rain, as the flowers tolerate rainwater poorly and often rot.
A soil substratewith a high lime content is optimal for the plant, which comes from southern Spain.
Young perennials grow very quickly and therefore need a lot of nutrients. In spring, i.e. from mid-March to the beginning of April, you can supply them with slow-release fertilizer.Regular fertilizationis also mandatory in the warm summer months when the plant produces flowers. You can add liquid fertilizer to the water two to three times a month. Oleanders that you have cut back heavily in spring (we will explain in detail below when pruning is necessary) also need long-term fertilizer in spring. All other plants that are healthy and at least three years old only need to be fertilized weekly with liquid fertilizer in the summer.
Wintering:As already mentioned, the Mediterranean plant is not hardy and must be overwintered in the months between November and March either in a bright greenhouse/conservatory or in a dark garage. The rule of thumb applies: the temperature in the room should be between 2 and 5 degrees Celsius. The room should also be ventilated once a week.
When is a cut appropriate?
We have already addressed the most important points regarding care because the cut depends on it. Depending on whether the oleander is healthy or, for example, infested with scale insects, whether the plant is young or several years old, and what its crown looks like, different cuts are possible. We give you an overview:
1. Young plants usually do not need pruning in the fall. However, you must regularly remove cross-growing branches inside the shrub. Diseased branches are also cut off. Before overwintering, you can also cut off any parts of the plant that have sprouted too long and are hanging over the edge of the pot. This means the plant takes up significantly less space in the winter garden. Normally, experts recommend checking the plant thoroughly every three to four weeks and, if necessary, giving it a very light corrective cut.
2. Strong-growing oleanders over 2 years old require more care when it comes to pruning. For a large plant, pruning before overwintering makes sense. This protects the shrub from scale insect infestation and promotes flower formation. Basically, as soon as you notice that the new branches are growing across the inside of the bush and the plant is producing significantly fewer flowers than last year, pruning is necessary in autumn. You have to cut the shoots back to the first bud so that they can produce new flowers next spring. Cut back up to 30% of all shoots.
3. Pruning, in which the entire crown is cut back heavily in spring (i.e. from mid-March to early April), is only possible in exceptional cases. If the plant has grown a lot in width or if it is attacked by pests, then all of its shoots are cut back by 20 cm from the ground. It can tolerate pruning very well, but it can no longer produce flowers in the same year.
Instructions with picture
With the drawing above we try to illustrate the different types of cuts again. If you want to prune your oleander, you can choose a regular pruning, a pruning in the fall or a complete pruning in the spring.
Danger! Oleander is a poisonous plant, so be sure to wear gardening gloves.
With a caring cut, only individual branches and shoots are cut back to the first bud (see sketch, above, left).
When cutting in autumn, before overwintering, a maximum of 30% of all shoots are cut back to the first bud (see sketch, above, in the middle). This means the plant can produce flowers in the same year.
At aPruning in springAll branches are cut back by 20 cm from the ground. The plant recovers, grows strongly in spring and summer, but does not produce new flowers until the next year. (see sketch, above, right).
If the oleander is healthy, but individual shoots grow crosswise (see sketch, in the middle, on the left), then it needs a cut in autumn. The sketch below on the left shows the final result - this is what a healthy, trimmed shrub should look like before overwintering.
The different types of cuts are also marked on the sketch. In the USA, a perennial in the garden is cut back every two years because it does not need to be overwintered. But if it's a potted plant, it makes more sense to cut it more compactly. Some hobby gardeners cut them into the shape of a tree (standard trunk), others love the shrub shape and leave several stems in the pot.
You can tie up newly planted oleanders in spring and summer for safety. You can anchor it with a tripod or with two vertical pillars.
Also read:Cutting the oleander after overwintering for beginners
