Re: Oleanders in containers


I would suggest that if oleanders are reluctant to
bloom in your location it is probably either due to
lack of heat or insufficient sun or both, as they will
thrive in the hottest locations in California with
little water, but are late to bloom or shy bloomers in
cooler coastal conditions nearer the sea.  In more
desert or arid climates where they are native, it was
a revelation (to me), to see them only growing along
water coarses outside of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia or in
Crete.  They will grow in Crete away from a river if
established, but do not seem to naturalize away from
permanent water.  In Riyadh, without some source of
regular hand watering during the year, they will not
survive at all.  They seemed to sail through 50C/125F
temperatures of Riyadh without trouble, and bloomed
well and almost year round, with heavy seed
production.  They are also very important host plants
to a multitude of moths.  I'd suggest that if they
don't get the mimimum amount of heat they seem to
want, you're better off trying something else, or 
planting them in a very sunny sun porch, which is the
only way we can get Plumeria to bloom in San
Francisco.  They also grow Oleanders here in Malaysia,
but they look so diminutive and weak in both size and
bloom, compared to those in mediterranean and
subtropical climates.

Regarding your question about Tibouchina urvilleana;
if the stems are floppy throughout the year, then you
are not giving it enough sunlight, or are trying to
grow it indoors without enough footcandles of light. 
In San Francisco this plant will even bloom in a fair
amount of outdoor  shade(but with lesser numbers of
flowers), and is in its full glory in cooler coastal
climates near the sea, but protected from the wind. 
They seem to like the same conditions suitable for
most Hebes.  It will tolerate hot humid climates, but
never looks nearly as nice a plant.  They can grow it
here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which is fully
tropical, but it only does so-so, whereas up in the
hill country, where the climate is subtropical, it
looks as spectacular a plant as in California.  This
plant will grow and bloom in a cool summer
mediterranean climate, but is not much tolerant of
winter frost( it will come back from light frost, but
not regular heavy frost).  Another plant to consider
as a trained standard for cooler climates would be
Abutilon hybrids, and of course Fuschia's if you don't
have to deal with the Brazilian Fuschia Mite.
--- Edward Faridany <ekf@lineone.net> wrote:
> Alessandria, do you find oleander reluctant to
> flower in pots? What sort of
> watering regime do you use ? I know that when
> planted out alongside roads
> etc. they get no water, as I know from the
> continent, along motorways in
> California etc. but flower profusely.Whereas , say,
> Solanum Rantonetti,
> flowers well but late [end july] oleander seems more
> reluctant.
> Edward Faridany
> Sussex coast, UK - dryish summers 10 - 25 deg.C. [
> standard plants winter
> under glass].
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Vinciguerra, Alessandra
> <A.Vinciguerra@aarome.org>
> To: 'Edward Faridany' <ekf@lineone.net>
> Cc: <Medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
> Sent: 05 June 2000 12:50
> Subject: RE: Oleanders in containers
> 
> 
> >
> > Dear Edward,
> > no, unfortunately I don't have experience in
> Tibouchina standards, even
> > though I 've seen many of them. I particularly
> remember a summer bedding
> out
> > in Pallanza, a nice holiday resort on the shores
> of lake Maggiore, with a
> > bed of white lantanas and heliotropiums, and the
> tibouchinas standing in
> the
> > middle.
> > Yes,  Italians like to standard train almost
> everything; I'll just mention
> > the two or three things I noticed recently:
> Solanum rantonettii (specially
> > the variegated one), Hibiscus rosa sin. and
> syriacus; Bouganvilleas,
> > Rosemary, Lavander, Lantanas, Oleanders, Cestrums,
> Hydrangeas,
> Pelargoniums,
> > and the obvious roses and fuchsias; hot peppers,
> tomatoes, basil, sage;
> > callistemons, leptospermums.....
> >
> > Alessandra
> >
> >
> > -  Do you have any experience with Tibuchina grown
> as
> > a full standard? I have two from Pestoia but they
> are not too sucessful -
> > floppy and only flowering across the top rather
> than as a ball. Are they a
> > common standard in Italy - although you seem to
> try standard training with
> > most plants?
> >
> >
> 


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