Family: Apocynaceae
Scientific name: Nerium oleander
Common name: Oleander
Origin: Mediterranean area

The oleander is a well-known plant from the Mediterranean with many striking, white-pink flowers that smell wonderful. The leathery foliage is also graceful and forms a fairly bushy shrub. In subtropical areas the shrub grows to a height of 5-6 meters, but we can keep the species as a container plant and it stays a lot smaller at 1.5-2 meters. In the summer months you can place the plant outside in a sunny position and give it plenty of water. That amount of water is not directly suited to the dry Mediterranean climate, but this is because the oleander often grows near rivers. From November the plant can overwinter in a cool, frost-free location with little water. Flowering is usually around July-August and is followed by elongated, brown fruits. As soon as they are ripe, they burst open and the fluff with seeds appears.

Caution: all parts of the plant are poisonous. The plant can be pruned, but gloves prevent the milky juice from coming into contact with the skin.

Sowing instructions: First loosen the seeds from the pappus. Then sow in seed and cutting soil and keep the soil constantly moist. Germination usually after a few weeks at 20-25 degrees Celsius.

Sowing time: Whole year
Difficulty: Easy
Minimum temperature: 0 degrees Celsius