Re: OLEANDERS

I'm going to have to agree with Helene;
I think that Oleander is a wonderful, useful, appropriate plant. The problem
is perhaps it's being used so often and sometimes where another choice or
variation would be more pleasing. Context is everything. Here in Southern
California, along with the pink and white there is also a great red, and an
apricot colored one too. On a large property, or along the highway or
freeway, these make wonderful billowing hedges of color.

I'm going to add to the top ten by making one top ten of useful climate
appropriate plants that we take for granted in Southern California. These
all speak to me of California, many are plants that have adorned gardens
since the mission days:

Schinus molle         California Pepper tree
Nerium oleander     Oleander
Olea  europea       Olive tree
Agave                   Century plant
Agave                   Swan-neck agave
Bougainvillea, esp. San Diego Red and Orange King
Opuntia ficus-indica,   especially as a hedge
Rosa  polyantha  "Cecile Brunner"
Artemisia "Powis Castle"
Crocasmia crocosmiifolia    Montbretia


Twelve more, some ubiquitous, some not.

Rosa  damascena (I think)  "Belle of Portugal"
Aloes----all of them!
Salvias--------all of them!
Euphorbia, esp. cotinifolia
Leonotis leonurus
Rosa  banksiae  "Lady Banks' Rose"
Plectranthus-----as John McGregor has already commented, approaching salvias
for breadth and usefulness in our climate
Crinum lilies, all of them but esp. that wonderful one with the maroon
leaves 
Cardoon--------------------my favorite architectural weed
Echeverias 
Aeoniums
Sedums
Amaryllis belladonna   "Naked Lady"


While all of these plants are relatively common, they also, for me, have
history because of their presence (surviving in our climate without too much
life support), and a certain kind of resonance because of their history,
living on around old cottages and Missions.  I love that these are plants
that survive, giving us the outline of old gardens long after the gardener
has moved on. 

Sometimes a way to keep an interest in the plant is to be looking for the
new varieties of it--------a deepened color or a leaf variegation can
reinvigorate the interest.

Of course I love the new and unusual too---------------as context is
everything (Sean says this much more eloquently than I)------------the rare
and precious have their place. But let's not dismiss the old friends too
quickly! 

Best Wishes,
Laura


         



on 11/25/00 10:21 AM, T.L.Miller at tlmiller@mac.com wrote:

> On 11/25/00 9:22 AM helene.pizzi (helene.pizzi@tin.it) said:
> 
>> What a pity so many of us have oleanders on our hate lists.  Perhaps it is
>> because they have not been to Rome in July and August.  Hundreds of these
>> easy-care very neglected city landscape plants suddenly burst into bloom.
>> They bring cheer to a city baking in searing heat and do not mind the
>> pollution.  The 'autostrada' which follows the coast up to France (and
>> other superhighways too) has oleanders as highway dividers and they
>> certainly add beauty to the scenery.
> 
> Being born in Florida, I have been around oleanders nearly all my life.
> Here, in the St Pete/Tampa area, they and the tropical hibiscus are
> probably the two most popular flowering plants. Oleanders are commonly
> used along highways. They seem to be trouble-free and add color while
> adding a measure of safety by slowing cars that are out of control . In
> my neighbor's back yard, oleanders usually are caterpillar (orange/black)
> food every year.
> 
> On a Mediterranean cruise about three years ago, I looked hard for colors
> other than the ones I see here -- white, dark and pale pink, but didn't
> notice any.
> 
> Tom Miller
> ...........................................................................
> .........................................
> If you like tropical plants like hibiscus, please see:
> <http://www.trop-hibiscus.com>
> ...........................................................................
> .........................................
> "Liberty is the right to do whatever the laws permit."
> Baron de 
> Montesquieu...................................................................
> ........
> .........................................
> 
>
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index