nerium oleander and some reasons for the controversy
- To: m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: nerium oleander and some reasons for the controversy
- From: r* c*
- Date: Sat, 02 Dec 2000 19:55:56
Dear Medit Plant Folks,
I am one of the "silent majority" mentioned in a recent post that
appreciates and has learned much from the contributions made by those brave,
knowledgeable and generous souls who post regularly. I thank them sincerely
and hope they keep on posting.
Probably along with many of my fellow "silents", I often have something I'd
like to contribute --- but then the feeling passes! I encourage more
silents to post occasionally. It's like anything new. It's scary the first
time, then gets easier. I think the list couldn't help but benefit from the
expression of more points of view from more parts of the world.
I have been following the discussion about nerium oleander and have enjoyed
all the contributions. Of course, one obvious reason for the disagreement
about the merits of this plant stems from the fact that plant selection is
subjective and one man's favorites are another man's dislikes. However, it
could also be because the same plant often looks different when grown in two
different places in the world and/or we may be talking about different
varieties or hybrids of nerium oleander.
I live in southern California and tend to agree with those who say that the
oleanders most often seen locally, those grown along the freeways, tend to
look tired, scraggly, dusty, the plants tall and leggy, the flowers
smallish. We also have that "virus" that attacks them. Oleanders grown
along the freeways throughout Santa Barbara, however, look better to me.
There are also some local neighborhoods in which old oleanders have become
small street trees, limbed up and looking beautiful.
I also saw oleanders along the "freeways" in Italy just outside Rome, that
looked so lush and lovely, that it was awhile before the members of my
garden group decided they really were oleanders. Now, this may have been a
different variety than we grow in California, or maybe just a matter of
different climate - more rain in summer, more humidity, better soil? We
never got a chance to find out. Does anyone out there know?
I do know that I once saw a magnificent salvia sclarea var. 'Turkestanica'
growing in a garden in northeast England. When I asked fellow southern
California plant people Joe and Mary Brosius if we could grow it here (I was
new to gardening at the time) they said, "Oh, yes, but it doesn't look as
good for us." I had to see for myself, promptly got and sowed seed and
while the plants grew as tall and full as the one in England, the flowers
weren't nearly as large and showy. By the way, I also learned firsthand how
badly the leaves smell!
Well, that's "my two cents" as Americans say. I also want to thank everyone
for endeavoring to use the Latin names of plants as well as the common, so
that all of us no matter where in the world we live and garden will know
exactly what is being discussed and can look it up in reference books and
online for future study. Keeps us all on the same page so to speak.
Gratefully,
Robin Corwin
Studio City, California
Zone 9/10?
Sunset Western Garden Book Zone 21
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