How to Overwinter Oleander Shrubs

Oleander, Nerium oleander, is one stunning but robust flowering shrub.

Grown outdoor, it should bloom in a cascade of white, pink, salmon-pink, or orange hues. It could possibly thrive in salt air, scalding temperatures, intense humidity, and drought. It’s additionally deer-proof!

However oleander does have one nemesis: the chilly. This decorative shrub will solely develop as a perennial in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 to 11.

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You’ll be able to nonetheless develop oleander in Zones 4 to 7, that are far colder. However in these areas the place the common low temperature for the season falls beneath 10°F, these shrubs can’t survive the winter.

Or slightly, it could actually’t survive with out your assist.

You’ll be able to take steps to overwinter these shrubs, and this information will share the very best strategies.

Right here’s the lineup:

Does Your Oleander Want Winter Safety?

Oleander doesn’t want any additional look after the winter so long as you’re rising it in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 to 11.

In-ground look after oleander rising in these climates is identical as it’s all through the remainder of the yr: you may principally depart it to its personal gadgets until you wish to prune or form it.

You’ll be able to be taught extra about pruning and discover care suggestions in our information to rising oleander.

I do have one suggestion for vegetation rising within the floor inside these zones, although.

In the event that they’re lower than a foot tall when winter approaches, chances are you’ll wish to mulch round them to guard them from the coldest temperatures and assist the soil to retain moisture.

Be taught extra about utilizing mulch for low-maintenance gardening in our information.

As soon as N. oleander is established, if grown throughout the really helpful vary, it gained’t want such coddling.

However when you’re rising it in Zones 4 to 7, with common low winter temperatures beneath 10°F, the plant will die when you don’t deliver it indoors in wintertime.

In these cooler rising zones, choose to develop your vegetation in containers so you may transport them readily when chilly climate is on the way in which.

It’s potential to plant the shrubs straight within the soil in your backyard or panorama after which dig them as much as overwinter, however I don’t advocate it.

While you’re gardening in a area the place oleander can’t stand up to wintry situations, planting it in a plot or patch will demand way more effort when it’s time to maneuver the plant, versus rising it in a container to start with.

All that digging and toting robs this plant of considered one of its greatest traits, because it’s sometimes very simple to look after. As soon as the bigger varieties exceed 5 or 6 toes tall, you’ll have a battle in your arms to deliver them out of the bottom to maneuver into protected quarters.

Developing, we’ll go over the really helpful steps for safeguarding oleander shrubs from the chilly in Zones 4 to 7. First, a number of phrases about security.

Precautions for Indoor Oleander Care

Whereas with the ability to transfer such a reasonably shrub indoors to outlive harsh winters would possibly sound fascinating, solely achieve this if it gained’t doubtlessly threaten anybody dwelling within the dwelling with unintentional poisoning.

All components of the N. oleander plant could cause gastric or coronary heart misery, or perhaps a deadly response, if ingested by an individual or pet.

You probably have the kind of canine or cat that may chew on something inexperienced, this might not be a viable plant to deliver indoors, and even into the storage, to guard it from the weather.

And fogeys of younger children or gardeners who host plenty of guests could wish to skip overwintering this poisonous plant indoors as nicely.

You’ll additionally must take steps to guard your pores and skin when dealing with oleander. Extra of an annoyance that’s not life-threatening, these shrubs include saponins, which might irritate your pores and skin when you contact any a part of the plant from roots to stems to blooms.

So make certain to put on backyard gloves to guard your arms whilst you take steps to guard the shrubs from chilly temperatures. And when you’ll be carrying bigger specimens in your arms, make certain to put on lengthy sleeves.

Pre-Planning

This isn’t a kind of gardening experiences the place you would possibly belatedly notice a plant will probably be threatened by a freeze and race out with sheets and rocks to attempt to cowl it on the final minute.

Rising oleander all through a harsh winter requires preplanning in these areas:

Know Your Climate Patterns

You’ll first must get aware of your space’s USDA Hardiness Zone, so that you’ll know whether or not this plant can develop there as a perennial.

I’ll repeat this necessary message: Should you dwell in Zones 8 to 11, oleander will develop fortunately in your backyard as a perennial, planted outdoor year-round.

However when you’re gardening in Zones 4 to 7, you’ll must plan to overwinter the vegetation indoors.

Additionally, make an observation in your gardening journal of your space’s common first frost date. Whereas oleander can survive snowfall and even a tough frost, you’ll goal to have it indoors nicely forward of temperature dips beneath that crucial 10°F mark.

Choose the Proper Measurement Plant

You’ll additionally want to pick out an acceptable selection to develop.

Ideally, you’ll elect to plant a dwarf selection that may attain three or 4 toes tall, max. That may make it easier to discover a container for it and to maneuver and repot the plant as wanted.

I’ve seen stunning bigger styles of oleander skilled to develop as single-trunk timber in containers although, so that you don’t essentially must restrict your ambitions you probably have the house and the energy to supply the winter care these vegetation require.

Additionally, contemplate resting the container on a rolling cart. If it’s simple to maneuver the shrub indoors, you’ll be extra more likely to full the chore in a well timed method, with necessities in keeping with that minimal upkeep function these shrubs are identified for.

Simply be ready to heft heavy containers as your tree will get greater when it’s time to dimension up the pot, and be sure to’ll have an area that’s sufficiently big for it to maneuver indoors in chilly climate.

Be taught extra about several types of oleander to develop at dwelling in our roundup.

Select a Appropriate Container

Be certain the pot you select has drainage holes and offers the plant with room to develop.

On your sake, not the plant’s, it’s additionally useful to acquire a pot fabricated from light-weight materials. However keep in mind that tipping over could develop into a difficulty with taller specimens.

If it’s sufficiently big to accommodate a four-foot shrub, a clay or ceramic pot will weigh fairly a bit!

Propagate Some Backups

Should you’re a little bit of a pessimist like I’m, a part of pre-planning entails propagating a number of additional begins from cuttings earlier than you undertake the steps to overwinter your predominant specimen.

That manner, you’ll have backups accessible if the shrub doesn’t fare nicely regardless of your greatest efforts.

If it does simply superb – and it ought to! – you’ll have additional beginner vegetation to develop your holdings or share with fellow gardeners.

Plan forward to take the cuttings in early spring, earlier than the vegetation start to flower.

Then propagate new shrublets by following the instructions in our information to oleander care.

Prune Forward of Time

Should you’re planning to chop the tricks to form your shrubs a bit, make certain to do this in late summer time or early autumn.

This can permit sufficient time for the lower ends to harden off forward of wintry climate – and forward of the transfer indoors.

Make the Vital Strikes

When must you transfer container-grown oleander indoors to overwinter?

Remember that you’re making an attempt to keep away from extended onerous freezes, and to skip the freeze-thaw cycles that may harm your vegetation.

On the identical time, oleanders actually aren’t supposed to be grown inside over a protracted time period, so that you wish to decrease their time spent indoors as a lot as potential.

compromise is to deliver them inside when winter temperatures start to dip to twenty°F. Containers could also be returned to a protected out of doors space as quickly as temperatures are constantly above 40°F in spring.

Forward of the transfer, be sure you wash the skin of the containers with soapy water and rinse them off, so that you don’t deliver any pests or pathogens into the home with them.

Additionally look at your vegetation for any pests, and provides the foliage a twig with the hose to dislodge any undesirable hitchhikers.

Inside, they want cool temperatures of round 40°F and brilliant mild. A spot close to a sunny window in an unheated greenhouse, shed, or storage is right.

For many rising in Zones 4 to 7 although, the very best concept is to maintain the vegetation in an unheated room the place you may control them – so long as this doesn’t deliver them into areas the place pets or unsuspecting people would possibly wish to gnaw on the poisonous vegetation.

As soon as your plant is inside, skip the fertilizer. Development stops within the winter when oleander is dormant.

Water wants will probably be lowered presently as nicely. Do give your plant some supplemental water, however solely as soon as the soil has develop into dry a number of inches down within the pot.

A soil moisture meter is tremendous helpful right here. It should let you know when the soil has develop into dry whereas additionally serving to you to keep away from overwatering.

When temperatures rise above 40°F as soon as extra, give it time to get acclimated to the brighter lights and cooler temps outdoor, hardening it off with an extra half-hour to an hour of publicity every day over the course of every week or two till it could actually transfer again to its out of doors place full-time.

Control the climate forecast, and convey it again indoors if a chilly snap is imminent.

Wake This Shrub Up When Spring Will get Right here

Oleander has a lot going for it as a decorative shrub. It’s immune to drought, humidity, salt, and deer – but it surely doesn’t like chilly winters!

It appears solely honest to provide this shrub a little bit TLC when you’re rising it in an space the place it gained’t dwell by the winter with out the additional consideration.

Do you’ve got expertise overwintering oleander, or wish to know extra about a facet of the method not lined already? Be sure you weigh in by way of the feedback part beneath.

And when you’re searching for extra flowering shrubs that is likely to be appropriate on your rising space, check out these guides subsequent: