White oleander plant. Oleander flower: poisonous or not? growing and care at home, photo

Oleander, grown outdoors, is a flowering shrub.

Its large inflorescences come in different colors. In warm climates, the plant is placed in the garden and can be grown at home in any climate.

Caring for an oleander flower is not particularly difficult, but due to the size of the plant and its heat-loving nature, it is necessary to adhere to some rules for maintaining an evergreen shrub.

This plant is widely distributed as an ornamental in the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia.

As you can see in the photo, oleander attracts attention with its flowers of various shapes and colors.

In addition to its spectacular appearance, the shrub has a pleasant aroma. The leaves of the plant are fleshy, dense, elongated, often located on brownish shoots. If you do not pay due attention to the lower sections of the stems, they become bare, and the bush begins to grow rapidly.

When caring for an oleander, it is necessary to trim it regularly to limit the growth of the flower and form a compact and aesthetic crown. Although the oleander strives to grow, gardeners consider the plant to be picky and believe that it is easy to care for.

Mystics claim that oleander is capable of influencing a person’s lifestyle, that the plant stimulates performance, gives a person greater determination, and awakens in him the desire to give up bad habits.

Those who engage in spiritual practices believe that this plant, when indoors, cleanses it of negativity and helps to establish a friendly, non-conflict environment.

If you have ever vacationed in subtropical areas, you have probably seen a luxuriously blooming oleander - a member of the Kutrov family. Plants of this family have one peculiarity: they secrete milky sap - latex or toxic substances, like oleander.

You can often find oleander in Yalta. It is also grown in open ground in the Caucasus in coastal areas. To the north, the shrub grows in greenhouse plantings or in houses as a houseplant. There is only one cultivated variety of shrub - common oleander. The plant is popularly called downy bush, scarecrow, laurel rose, and leanander.

The traditional name is of Greek origin: “oleo” means “olive”, “andros” means man. As legend has it, Oleander was the name of a Greek youth who, by sacrificing himself, saved his people during a volcanic eruption, after which the plant was named.

Oleander is not so harmless. Although the bush is very decorative and smells pleasant, it is not without dangerous properties for humans, known since ancient times. In the 19th century, a toxic substance was discovered that makes the leaves, stems and foliage of oleander toxic - oleandrin glycoside.

The pharmaceutical industry uses it rationally, producing drugs containing this substance that stimulate the heart.

In the Middle Ages, Mediterranean commoners used homemade powder from the plant's bark to ward off rats. An alcoholic tincture of the plant was used as a lotion when bitten by snakes.

Types of oleander with photos

There are three types of oleander:

1. ordinary,
2. fragrant and
3. Indian.

The first has many varieties with flowers of various colors. Classic varieties have red, white, pink and yellow colors; hybrid varieties have snow-white and crimson.

Indian and fragrant species are not so diverse in variety, but are also very interesting.

The first blooms from early summer to October, producing large, pleasant-smelling, bright flowers in red, yellow, white or pink.

The second one is not so tall - it reaches a maximum of 50 cm in height, but exudes a magnificent aroma.

Growing oleander at home, photos, videos

This shrub is unpretentious. Even a novice gardener can grow oleander at home.

For good growth and abundant flowering, the plant needs to be provided with good lighting. Windows in the south-eastern part of the home are suitable for it. When placing the plant on the north side or deep indoors, it is advisable to surround it with intense artificial lighting.

On summer days, it is better to take the oleander out onto the balcony or outside. It must be placed so that the plant does not receive direct sunlight or rain. In winter, the flower needs additional lighting with fluorescent lamps. It is very important that its daylight hours are at least eight hours, and that the lamps are located at a distance of at least 70 cm from the bush.

The best conditions for oleander

The plant prefers moist air, organic-rich soil and stable air temperatures. When caring for him at home, you need to follow some rules.

Rules of care

Transplanting and pruning oleander

As soon as you have purchased a plant, replant it from peat into a mineral-rich substrate, which can be a humus-clay mixture or a mixture of peat and garden soil with the addition of manure.

Young shrubs should be replanted every spring, grown ones - once every year or two. To transplant oleander correctly, you need to follow the rules.

Transfer rules

For abundant flowering, oleander must be pruned regularly, as mentioned above. Pruning is done after the bush has faded, removing branches by half their length.

It is recommended to completely cut off the weak shoots of the flower every year to make room for new healthy ones and to avoid exposing the bush from below. Withered petals must be torn off with care so as not to damage the inflorescences that can produce new flowers.

Problems when growing oleander

Flower cuttings

Oleander is propagated by cuttings in spring and autumn. Shoots approximately 15 cm long are cut from the oleander.

To root them, you can use cuttings that are left after pruning the plant. The cut areas must be sprinkled with charcoal powder, after which the cuttings should be placed in soil made up of sand, charcoal and.

The container with cuttings should be placed in a well-lit room where the temperature is always stable.

To avoid rotting of the cuttings, water the oleander plant sparingly. As a rule, after a month the shoots take root, and they can be transplanted into soil consisting of sand, turf and peat soil with the addition of humus. The components of such a mixture are taken in equal proportions.

Propagation by seeds

The shrub's seeds germinate poorly. For this reason, it is best to sow them as soon as possible after harvest. Before planting, they should be soaked in fungicidal or manganese solution for half an hour. Next, they need to be kept in the solution for an hour. Zircona.

Oleander seeds must be sown superficially in the same soil mixture in which the mother plant is located. In the room where the seeds germinate, the temperature should be maintained in the range of 30-35C.

At lower temperatures, the seeds may rot or may not sprout for a long time. If conditions for germination are favorable, seedlings appear 10-12 days after planting.

How to care for seedlings?

They need to be additionally illuminated with artificial light. It is necessary to ventilate the room where they are located. It is very important to ensure optimal temperature conditions, high air humidity, and gradually adapt shoots with three leaves to standard growing conditions.

When 4-5 true leaves appear on the bush, the young shoots of the flower need to be planted in separate bowls. Growing and propagating oleander at home is absolutely easy.

If you care for it properly, this unpretentious plant will delight its patrons with luxurious and bright flowering for a long time.

How to deal with oleander diseases and pests

The shrub is susceptible to infection by bacterial infections and fungi.

He might get sick oleander cancer, which is manifested by the presence of light spots on the foliage, and then dark growths. Affected areas of the plant should be removed.

Aphids and spider mites This shrub is also not ignored.

When scale insects you need to remove the plaque manually and wipe the leaves with a cloth or sponge soaked in vodka.

Mealybug- another enemy of oleander that is removed manually.

As a preventive measure against pests, you can spray the oleander with water. Washing the plant in the shower prevents the plant from being damaged by diseases and insects.

Useful properties of a decorative flower

Oleander is a poisonous shrub, but it is known that in microdoses toxic substances produce a healing effect.

oleandrine– extract from the plant is used in:

• cardiology,
• veterinary and
• as a remedy in folk medicine.

This substance was included in the composition cornerin and nerioline.

Tinctures and lotions are made from oleander. They treat:

• migraine, insomnia, neuroses,
• tachycardia,
• skin diseases, for example, furunculosis and lichen.

To eliminate acute heart failure in pets and animals, to activate their intestinal motility, veterinarians use alcohol extract from bush leaves in a dosage appropriate to the weight of the animal.

The appearance of the oleander is impressive, so it is widely used by landscape designers, including in group plantings and tapeworms.

Open terraces, balconies, loggias, and winter gardens are decorated with oleander. Since the 17th century in Europe, it has been customary to decorate the interior of a home with this shrub, and nowadays - office premises.

Since blooming oleander creates the illusion that summer is continuing, growing the plant at home can help combat the seasonal blues.

Buy an oleander, place it at home, and with proper care you will be able to get a luxurious living decoration for your interior.

Oleander is an evergreen terry bush whose flowers are distinguished by their unique aroma and beauty. This plant can be kept both indoors and in the garden. It belongs to the Kutrov family. In the middle of the last century, it became known that Oleander leaves are extremely poisonous and life-threatening, and prolonged inhalation of the aroma of flowers can cause headaches. That is why the room for its placement must be large enough in area. However, despite all the dangers of this bush, it is of great benefit, since substances used in the pharmaceutical industry are obtained from its leaves.

The common oleander (Nerium oleander), which has about ten different varieties, is perfect for indoor growing. Its flowers are voluminous and can be pink, white, red and yellow. In bright light, the bush can reach 2m in height in a short period of time.

Oleander is considered very popular among gardeners, since in a short time you can give your garden unique beauty and fragrance. In open ground, the oleander feels much better and can reach four meters in height!

In order for an oleander to grow rapidly and bloom well at home, you need to provide it with a certain microclimate. Few people know how to care for an oleander, which is why the tree simply stops blooming and the leaves completely fall off.

The most important factor for the normal and lush growth of this tree, both in a pot and in open ground, is lighting. For this you can use fluorescent lamps. If it is possible to illuminate the plant 19 hours a day, then this is only a plus. In general, the more lighting, the better! In summer, the flower can be kept outside, where there is no shade and sufficient ventilation is provided. It is worth noting that after purchasing an oleander, its adaptation to the sun and bright light must be carried out gradually. Otherwise, the leaves will simply fall off.

Proper plant care requires compliance with temperature conditions. In spring and summer, the temperature in the room with shrubs should be between 20-28 degrees, and in winter - 8-12. With the onset of spring, the temperature gradually increases. It is necessary to remember to constantly ventilate the room, but under no circumstances should drafts be allowed.

Indoor oleander is a moisture-loving bush, so watering must be taken seriously. In this matter, it is necessary to take into account a number of nuances. Firstly, the water should be at room temperature and left for at least 24 hours. Secondly, hard water is absolutely not suitable for watering this plant. As for the frequency of watering, in the spring this is done immediately after the top layer of soil has dried, and in the summer there should be water in the pan at all times. With the onset of cold weather, the water from the pan must be poured out, as the root system of the plant may rot.

You only need to spray the bush in winter so that you don’t have to watch the leaves of the plant dry out due to increased dry air. In summer and spring, the plant does not require high air humidity.

Fertilizer, pruning and flower replanting

Common oleander is fed with mineral or organic fertilizers 3 times a month, but only in the spring and summer. The plant needs additional watering 30 minutes before applying fertilizer. Remember, it is not recommended to apply fertilizers in hot weather.

Pruning must be done on time, since due to its absence, the oleander may stop blooming or not start at all. When flowering is complete, the branches must be cut off. Note, shoots under flower buds need to be plucked off in a timely manner, as they slow down the growth of the bush.

Thus, it is necessary to remember that pruning an oleander is as important a procedure as watering.

Small plants are replanted every year, but older ones are replanted once every 3 years. Keep an eye on the root system, because if it has completely filled the pot, then you need to replant, even when three years have not passed since the last replanting. The transplant process itself will not take very long. You just need to significantly trim the root system and reduce the soil clod so that the plant blooms even more luxuriantly. Place and add peat, humus, leaf and turf soil to the bottom of the pot.

Reproduction methods

There are two main methods of propagating common oleander - using cuttings and seeds. This plant needs cuttings in spring and autumn. It is enough to root 15–18 cm cuttings in a mixture of sand and perlite and add crushed charcoal. The substrate must be moderately moist, otherwise the stem may rot. With proper care, roots should appear on the cuttings within a month. Cuttings are planted in pots with peat or humus, sometimes adding a little sand.

Germination of cuttings is also possible in water containing several pieces of charcoal. Further planting is similar to germination in the ground.

Propagating oleander from seeds will also not cause any particular difficulties. Seeds should never be dried, but sown immediately after collection. They will not sprout if stored for a long time. Before planting, you need to soak the seeds in a manganese solution for 30 minutes, and then pour in a zircon solution for 3 hours. There is no need to bury the seeds in the substrate, just sow them on top of the ground and sprinkle them a little. Twice a day, the seeds must be ventilated.

The approximate germination period is 1 week, maximum one and a half. It is important that during the germination of oleander from seeds, the temperature should be at least 33 degrees. Otherwise, the seeds will begin to rot and will sprout much later. After germination, fluorescent lamps need to be installed to provide the required amount of light. The seedlings need to be sprayed.

When a small oleander has 2 leaves, it can be picked and planted in separate pots. It is worth noting that oleander from seeds can lead to the loss of the mother variety.

Diseases and pests

Like any other shrub, oleander is susceptible to diseases and pests. There are few of them, but it is still necessary to fight them. So, this is the most common pest of indoor plants. To combat it, you need to wipe the leaves with a soapy solution using a sponge and spray with 0.15% actellik (2 ml per liter of water).

And they are also destroyed using a soap solution (we wipe the leaves) and a hot shower. The water should be about 50 degrees. The plant needs to be sprayed regularly.

A personal plant disease is oleander cancer. It occurs due to damage to the plant by the bacteria Pseudomonas tonelliana, which is simply impossible to overcome at home.

Some gardeners encounter a problem when the leaves of the plant dry out, and some of them even fall off. The cause of this disease can be excessive watering if the leaves dry out at the bottom. Drying leaves in the crown area (above), on the contrary, indicates an insufficient amount of water. Excessive dry air may also be the cause.

Danger of oleander for humans

It has long been known that all parts of the oleander from the root to the tips of the leaves are poisonous. Under no circumstances should the flowers and fruits of this plant be eaten. It is for this reason that you should not start an oleander in a house where there are small children.

Attention! When cutting or wiping leaves, you should wear gloves, and then wash your hands thoroughly with soap.

Please note that headaches may result from being in the same room for a long time when this poisonous plant is in bloom!

Benefits of oleander for humans

Oleander is poisonous and this is undeniable, but a competent pharmacologist can turn this poison into a potent drug. Oleander leaves contain a large amount of useful substances, namely cardiac glycosides, which are used in the manufacture of medications that support the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system.

This beautiful flower has the properties of attracting various toxins, of which there are quite a lot in our everyday life. Thanks to this, the human body is cleansed even in the absence of direct contact.

In conclusion, I would like to say that knowing the business and intricacies of growing oleander will protect you from possible problems and give your home comfort and beauty without harm to your health!

The main mushrooms collected are: porcini, obabka, boletus, chanterelles, boletus, moss mushrooms, russula, milk mushrooms, boletus, saffron milk caps, honey mushrooms. Other mushrooms are collected depending on the region. And their name (other mushrooms) is legion. As well as mushroom pickers, of whom there are more and more every year. Therefore, there may not be enough for all known mushrooms. And I know for sure that among the little-known there are very worthy representatives. I’ll tell you about little-known, but tasty and healthy mushrooms in this article.

The word "ampel" comes from the German word "ampel", meaning a hanging container for flowers. The fashion for hanging flower beds came to us from Europe. And today it is very difficult to imagine a garden where there is not at least one hanging basket. In response to the growing popularity of container floriculture, a large number of hanging plants have appeared on sale, whose shoots easily fall outside the pots. Let's talk about those that are valued for their beautiful flowers.

Apricots in syrup - aromatic apricot compote with cardamom from peeled fruits. These are very useful preparations for the winter - bright and beautiful halves of canned apricots can be used to prepare fruit salads, desserts or decorate cakes and pastries. There are many varieties of apricots; for this recipe, I advise you to choose ripe, but not overripe fruits, from which it is easy to remove the pit so that the peeled slices retain the correct shape.

Today in pharmacies you can buy many different medications with a general strengthening, tonic effect that are used for colds. Despite this, I always prepare my own nettles and St. John’s wort for the winter, as I consider them indispensable medicinal herbs for the prevention and treatment of colds and many other diseases. Why these plants are valuable, how and when to collect them, dry them, store them and prepare healing infusions, I will tell you in the article.

Among species of orchids, phalaenopsis are real Spartans. And one of the hardiest species is Phalaenopsis four-scutellum, or Tetraspis. He is content with minimal care, is not capricious at all, and easily adapts. And, unfortunately, it almost completely disappeared from the windowsills. Varietal hybrids with their spectacular flowering are found at every step, but you will have to hunt for each species specimen. But if you love the exotic, then Phalaenopsis tetraspis is worth it.

Boiled chicken stewed with vegetables is a delicious hot dish that is very easy to prepare from available ingredients. This dish will appeal to both adults and children; it can also be included in a not very strict diet menu, when you need to eat something satisfying, but not fried or fatty. The recipe for stewed boiled chicken can be classified as “healthy recipes”! Legs or thighs are ideal for cooking, but breast fillet will turn out dry, it is better to make cutlets from it.

I fell in love with roses fifteen years ago. My first roses often upset me: either with multi-colored spots on the leaves, or with a white powdery coating of powdery mildew, or with some other nuisance. What I haven’t done to treat rose bushes and prevent diseases... For the last five years, fungal diseases have only occurred on my site twice and have not caused any harm to the rose garden. I will share the secrets of preventing fungal infection in the rose garden.

Fragrant, aromatic apricots with soft, velvety skin and pulp that melts in your mouth are loved by adults and children. They make excellent preserves, marmalade, pastilles, dried fruits and juices. It is not surprising that apricot trees are grown in almost every garden in regions with a suitable climate. In this article we will tell you which apricot varieties are most suitable for central Russia. In addition, the material will discuss how to properly care for the plant.

Puff pastries with sorrel from ready-made yeast-free puff pastry - crispy, rosy, piping hot, ready for your table. You don’t need a lot of sorrel for the filling; you can even mix it with fresh spinach, it will be delicious! Sorrel adds sourness to the traditional puff pastry filling of eggs and onions. Take the puff pastry out of the freezer 30 minutes before cooking and leave it at room temperature until it thaws a little and becomes pliable.

Among the huge community of indoor representatives of the Araceae family, syngonium is the only plant that cannot boast of an increase in popularity in the last decade. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about this vine. Perhaps due to the rather capricious nature of syngoniums or their similarity to many large-leaved indoor plants. But not a single indoor vine can boast of such variability. This is one of the most modest vines, but non-standard.

Apricot pie made from delicate shortcrust pastry with curd filling turns out very similar to traditional apricot cheesecake: a thin layer of crumbly shortcrust pastry, moderately sweet, then a layer of apricots covered with the most delicate curd filling. To prepare this pie you will need something called intermediate baking. That is, first we bake a shortbread crust, which we then fill with fruits and cottage cheese, then we bake the pie until ready for some more time.

Once upon a time, these flowers were probably exotic novelties and aroused the delight of the public. But over time, bright annuals, widespread in urban landscaping and private gardens, became familiar. Today, not everyone wants to allocate space in the garden for marigolds, zinnias and their familiar cousins. In this article, I invite readers to get acquainted with new unusual varieties of annuals that are familiar to us, which will allow us to look at “banal” plants in a new way.

Spicy peach jam with cinnamon, star anise and cloves. The jam is very thick, aromatic, with transparent pieces of fruit. You will have to tinker a little with processing - you definitely need to peel the skin off the peaches, but the jam is prepared quite quickly. To harvest for the winter, choose ripe peaches without signs of spoilage or visible damage. The peel can be peeled off with a regular vegetable scraper or, as in this recipe, you can scald the fruit with boiling water. Any variety of peaches will do.

Every owner of a garden plot faces the question of improving soil quality. Or - at the very beginning when developing the site. Or after a while, because some crops grow well on the site, but others wither, get sick, or refuse altogether. Or because the yield of those crops that previously bore fruit without problems is decreasing. In such cases, they buy a machine of humus, peat, black soil or manure, or go to the store for mineral fertilizers.

Oleander is an ornamental perennial shrub that belongs to the Kutraceae family.. There are many different legends associated with Oleander. According to one of them, the ancient warriors cooked dinner on the long and smooth rods of this plant, and the next morning none of them woke up. The poisonous oleander plant can often be found in homes and public institutions. This vegetation blooms beautifully, so it becomes a unique decoration for any interior. Few people know that all parts of this flower are poisonous, and this property is preserved even in dried raw materials.

Plant characteristics

Common oleander can look like a tree, up to 4 meters high, but most often it is large bushes with shoots coming from the very root. This evergreen plant, during the period when it does not bloom, resembles young willow shoots. The bark on the shoots is woody, brown or dark olive in color.

Indoor oleander can reach a height of 2 meters. Such a large indoor flower requires a large tub, not a flower pot. This plant grows quite quickly, and with proper pruning, in a short time the lush bush begins to bloom, delighting household members and guests with its color.

The plant has large dark green leaves, attached to the stems in groups of 3 using petioles. Oleander comes in white, yellow and even red, but the most common color is pink. The smell of the flower is very pleasant and unusual.

Oleander is considered a very poisonous plant; absolutely all parts of this flower contain toxic substances - glycosides, oleandrin and ineriin.

Indoor oleander lives no more than 15 years, but with constant replanting and rejuvenation of the plant, the life period can be significantly increased.

In what cases is oleander poisoning possible?

Poisoning with this beautiful indoor flower often occurs due to ignorance. This is how you can get hurt in the following cases:

• accidental consumption of plant parts. This often happens with young children who, due to natural curiosity, put everything in their mouth;
• with improper care of the plant. If the juice gets on your hands, and then the person puts your hands in your mouth or picks up food with dirty hands.

In addition, all the symptoms of intoxication can appear even if the tub is in a small room and there are already flowers on the plant. The cloying sweet smell can lead to persistent headaches, confusion and blurred vision..

It is worth remembering that severe poisoning can occur even if you chew just a couple of oleander leaves.

Signs of poisoning

The poisonous oleander flower, if accidentally ingested, causes the following symptoms of intoxication of the body:

1. The person is bothered by severe nausea, which almost always ends in profuse vomiting.
2. The heartbeat slows down and the person becomes short of breath.
3. The victim's consciousness is confused, and delirium is sometimes observed.
4. Vision and hearing noticeably deteriorate.

Poisoning of this type is especially severe in young children., who have weak immunity and the digestive organs and nervous system are not yet fully formed.

If a person who has eaten parts of the oleander becomes worse every minute, it is necessary to urgently call a doctor.

First aid

To avoid serious consequences, it is necessary for the victim to quickly provide first aid, which is provided according to the following algorithm:

• Rinse the stomach. For this purpose, it is better to use boiled, cooled water to which activated carbon powder or potassium permanganate has been added. The procedure is carried out until the water leaving the stomach becomes clear.
• The patient is given any adsorbents.
• Before the doctor arrives, the victim is given plenty to drink and his condition is monitored.

People prone to allergic reactions may have angioedema, so they are immediately given antihistamines.

In any case, it is advisable to show the victim to a doctor, as late complications may arise.. If a child has been poisoned and the doctor insists on his hospitalization, then you should not refuse; the baby must be constantly under the control of medical workers.

If the juice gets on the skin or mucous membranes, they are washed with a large volume of running water.

You should not rinse the stomach of young children at home, as this can lead to severe dehydration.

Useful properties of the plant

To the question whether oleander is poisonous or not, you can give the exact answer that the plant is poisonous. However, despite its strong toxicity, oleander plant materials are used for the preparation of cardiac drugs, which include cornerin and neriolin.

In addition, oleander has a pronounced antimicrobial effect; in the room where the tub with the flower is located, the number of pathogenic microbes, especially E. coli and staphylococci, is significantly reduced.

Oleander is a flower with strong energy, so it is advisable to place it in the offices of large companies where important issues are resolved.

How to prevent poisoning

To prevent oleander poisoning, you should follow simple rules:

1. It is not advisable to place this flower in children's rooms, or in a place accessible to small children..
2. When caring for poisonous vegetation, you need to wear gloves; after trimming or replanting a flower, be sure to wash your hands with soap and running water.
3. You should not place a tub with this plant in small rooms where there is no proper ventilation.

Oleander will undoubtedly decorate any home, but do not forget that the plant is very poisonous and can greatly harm your health. If you follow all the care rules, the oleander will please the eye and bring aesthetic pleasure.

Oleander is a plant with extremely fragrant and beautiful flowers, fraught with a deadly threat. In the middle of the last century it grew in many apartments. But the rumor about its poisonous leaves forced many housewives to get rid of the oleander. Especially if there were small children in their house. Although no one confirms with real stories the destructive effect of oleander on the owners or their guests, there are few who want to risk their children. And yet it is difficult to resist the beauty of this flower, which simultaneously heals and kills. What kind of plant is this and how to care for it?

Oleander in nature

The oleander plant (Nérium oleander - lat.) belongs to the Kurt family. It grows wild in countries with a dry or semi-dry Mediterranean climate. There are three species of this shrub. In our area it grows wild at the latitude of the Black Sea coast. Its thickets can be seen near bodies of water, especially in river branches. In the southern resorts, oleander grows everywhere, delighting vacationers with charming flowers and a wonderful aroma. In more northern regions it can only survive indoors. Common oleander or nerium are grown at home.

Legends and myths

Oleander is a flower that was grown as a cultivated plant in Ancient Rome and Greece. The first part of the name “ole” means “oil” or “fragrant”. The second part "andr" can mean "man" or the name of the Greek island of Andros. Nerium may have received its name from the legend of the Nereids, daughters of the sea god, who lived in the vicinity of the island of Andros. They allegedly hid from the dangers that awaited them in the thickets of this bush. It was difficult to find them there, and the poisonous branches of nerium prevented anyone from getting close to them.

And the Greek word “nerios” itself means “raw”, that is, nerium is a plant that loves moisture, growing near water.

Myths associated with oleander are based on the poisonous properties of all parts of the plant. They are told in different countries, but the ending is the same. They are talking either about the soldiers of Macedon and Napoleon, or about the English conquerors of Central Asia. But the essence comes down to one thing: having fried meat strung on oleander branches and eaten it, they died by morning. That is, the plant helped destroy the enemies of the country in which it grew.

Appearance

Oleander is an evergreen plant about 2.5 m high with beautiful leathery leaves, shaped like willow leaves, but dark green in color and much denser. This is where the similarities with willow end. Light gray smooth branches grow upward without bending. Oleander is a flower that is beautiful at any time of the year. But it is especially beautiful at the time of flowering. The first buds appear in the summer, in June. It blooms for a long time, some varieties - until October. The buds open gradually, not all at once. Therefore, in a flowering cluster you can simultaneously see unopened buds, blooming ones, and the ovary. And because of this, the flowering period is lengthened.

The color of oleander buds is most often pink, white, cream, and sometimes yellow are also found. There are also varieties with lilac and purple flowers. Their size can reach 5 cm. The shape of the flowers, their size, and doubleness depend on the variety. They all have a pleasant, but very strong aroma in large quantities. It may give you a headache. Therefore, it is not recommended to place the oleander in the bedroom or room where people stay for a long time.

The fruits are multi-seeded leaflets. Their length reaches 10 cm. They ripen in November. You can grow an oleander flower from seeds.

How to care?

In order for the oleander to delight you with abundant flowers, it needs good lighting, watering and nutrition. In addition, you need to maintain a certain temperature regime. At a time when nerium is actively growing, the temperature should be from 20 to 25 degrees. Oleander at home normally tolerates temperatures of 28 and even 30 degrees. But it cannot be placed near radiators or other heating devices. In winter, the oleander has a dormant period, so the temperature needs to be lowered to 12 degrees or lower. But it shouldn't freeze either. The minimum temperature is 2 degrees Celsius. But the plant should be well lit all the time. Otherwise, its leaves will fall off, and the oleander will not bloom in summer. Optimal for it would be bright but diffused lighting.

An excellent place in the apartment is the southern windows, where the oleander flower feels best. If you are unable to provide it with sufficient natural light, you can use fluorescent lamps for this. Oleander at home is easily affected by diseases and pests and completely loses its attractiveness. This happens if he is constantly in the shade.

Oleander is a flower that grows on the banks of reservoirs and loves moist air. When heating the room with gas appliances, it is too dry. Therefore, the plant must be constantly sprayed or placed in a container with water, which will evaporate and increase the humidity in the room. At the same time, nerium normally tolerates drying out of the earth clod. After all, its leathery leaves contain a large supply of moisture and use it sparingly.

Watering

In winter, water the oleander little, once every ten days, and make sure that the soil in the pot does not dry out. In summer, the amount of moisture is increased, not forgetting about good drainage. You cannot flood the bush. This can lead to root rot and plant death. The first sign of damage is leaves that have turned yellow due to lack of air in the root system.

But you shouldn’t go to extremes and water very rarely. This also negatively affects the condition of the bush. If the leaves turn yellow from the center and fall off, this indicates insufficient watering.

You can take the tree outside, place it in a bowl of water, and add a layer of gravel to the bottom. Water regularly, as it dries, with rain or settled water at room temperature, to which oleander responds well.

Cultivation includes fertilizing with organic or mineral fertilizers created specifically for flowering indoor plants. During active growth, do this every week, in winter - once a month.

Transfer

Initially, the oleander plant is planted in the spring in a small pot with good drainage. It begins to grow quickly, so it needs to be replanted every year, increasing the size of the pot. When the tree grows, it is enough to do this once every two to three years. Adult plants are transplanted using the transshipment method.

You can simply replace the old soil with new one, removing the top layer of soil, and fill in a new one. It is obtained by mixing humus, peat and turf soil in equal parts. You can add coarse sand and a little lime (10 g per bucket of soil). They also use ready-made slightly acidic soil for indoor plants, adding sand to it. Before replanting, the soil is sterilized by calcination or spilling with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Trimming

If the oleander is not pruned, it forms in the form of a bush, as in the wild. But a tree-shaped plant will look better. Its trunk will be thicker and smoother. To do this, the bush must be trimmed correctly. They do this with gloves and very carefully so that the poisonous oleander juice does not get on the mucous membranes. After pruning, wash the pruning shears or scissors thoroughly.

Prune after the bush has finished flowering. But do not rush to remove inflorescences that seem to have already faded. Buds may appear on them again.

In spring, the plant is not pruned so as not to remove the flowers that formed last year. Then your oleander will bloom magnificently.

Reproduction

Getting a new plant is very easy. To do this, take a cutting (preferably non-lignified) and place the cut end in water. To prevent it from rotting, you can throw a little charcoal into the dish. When the roots appear, a young oleander is planted in the ground. Propagation can be carried out by planting a cutting under a jar or directly into a pot. Its leaves are dense, so they do not fade. But as practice shows, rooting in this case will take longer.

Usually oleander cuttings take root without problems. They bloom the next year after planting.

You can grow nerium from seeds. They are harvested at the end of October. Brown seeds fly out of the capsule that formed in place of the flower. They quickly lose their viability. They are collected, not forgetting about safety measures, and sown to a depth of 1 cm. There is no need to stratify.

When choosing a reproduction method, evaluate your task. If you need to get a flower “like your friend’s,” then feel free to cut the stalk. If you want to create a new variety, then you need to tinker with the seeds.

Diseases

Oleander is a flower that, like most plants, can be affected by fungal diseases. To prevent them, you need to thoroughly disinfect the soil, properly water and feed.

Harm to the plant can be caused by pests that are not at all afraid of poisonous sap. You can see aphids, scale insects, and spider mites if you carefully examine the oleander.

They fight diseases and pests if they are detected using chemicals or products of organic origin (Agrofit, Fitoverm).

Harm

A beautiful tree with beautiful flowers, a pleasant smell and a euphonious name is actually very dangerous. All parts of the oleander plant are poisonous. Juice is especially dangerous. And if it is not so easy to get poisoned by seeds, then it is very easy to come into contact with the juice. It is enough to break off oleander leaves, a branch, a flower and touch them to the skin of your hands or face.

It is especially dangerous for children. It is difficult to explain to a child why this beautiful tree should be avoided. And it's hard to keep track of him. Therefore, when small children appear in the house, it is better to get rid of oleander until they grow up thoroughly.

Symptoms of poisoning

Anyone who has oleander growing needs to know them in order to quickly seek help from a doctor. After poisoning with oleander juice, the heartbeat slows down, then diarrhea mixed with blood begins. Breathing becomes difficult, the person loses consciousness.

Benefit

But oleander is a rare plant that both heals and kills. As they say, it all depends on the dose.

Preparations are obtained from the leaves of the plant that help normalize the functioning of the cardiovascular system. They do this with the help of glycosides, which help restore normal heart function by acting on the heart muscle.

Medicines created from nerium leaves have a positive effect on liver activity, normalize blood pressure, and help improve immunity. Scabies and dermatitis are treated with ointment from nerium leaves. There is information that they help treat thyrotoxicosis and diseases of the nervous system. But since an overdose of the drug is fraught with dangerous consequences, it is used in homeopathic doses.

A useful feature of nerium is its ability to grow in areas where gas and dust levels are significantly exceeded. Growing there, it purifies the air.

Types of oleanders

• White oleander is a shrub reaching a height of 5 meters. Its flowers, as the name suggests, are white. Although white oleander has poisonous leaves, they are used to make medicines.
• Indoor oleander.
• Pink nerium likes to grow in cozy places.
• Yellow oleander has unusually shaped bell-shaped flowers. They are different from other varieties. The fruit is the size of a chestnut and can produce two sprouts at once.
• Red oleander is a low shrub (up to 2 meters). Its flowers have very beautiful bright colors.
• Double oleander can have petals of different colors: from white to cream.