Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Oleander blooms and seedlings

Last year I bought an Oleander for really cheap at the end of the summer season.  It had finished blooming for the year, so I didn't know what color it would be, but it was covered in long brown seed pods, which was a nice bonus.

The seed pods stayed on the plant for several months and then finally burst open in the middle of the winter, while the plant was in my greenhouse.  Since there wasn't much air circulation in the greenhouse I was able to gather all the seeds and keep them from planting themselves in every pot.  That was a good thing, since there were thousands of seeds.  Based on my past experience with seeds, I assumed I probably wouldn't have much luck growing Oleanders from seed - especially after I read some information on the internet.

oleander_seeds
Oleander seeds
I gave some of the seeds to my sister to give to her friend who has a greenhouse and grows plants from seed.  After my sister told me that her friend had sprouted seedlings, I decided to try my hand.  Just about a week after planting my seeds I started to see some results.  Turns out the complicated directions on the internet weren't necessary.  I just stuck the seeds in a pot and slightly covered them with soil and watered.

oleander_seedlings
My Oleander seedlings
I've kept my seedlings alive and healthy, but they haven't been growing very fast.  My sister brought me some of the seedlings her friend grew and they are quite a bit more mature than mine.

oleander_grown_seedlings
My Oleander seedlings alongside the mature seedlings
In the mean time, this summer my parent plant bloomed again (the first time for me), in spite of the mealies that have been plaguing it.  Now I know that my plant has pink blooms.

oleander_bloom
Oleander bloom
Oleanders will always remind me of Rome, where there were some beautiful large bushes growing right in front of the Colosseum.

oleander
Oleanders blooming in front of the Colosseum in Rome on our 2007 trip to Italy.  It really just doesn't get any better than this.

4 comments:

  1. That is awesome!

    How long does it take them to bloom from seed?

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  2. Glad you were able to get the seeds to come up. Oleanders are beautiful, and seem to grow so well in the more southern zones. I never imagined them in Rome, though. Interesting.....

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  3. Mine are still just a couple of inches tall, so I don't know when they will be blooming size. I would venture to guess it will probably take at least one really good growing season, though.

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  4. Thanks for this very valuable information. I just noticed seed pods on mine. My friend propogates from cuttings in water, but it never worked for me.

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