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

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.

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.

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

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

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.