Propagating oleanders - what do you have to remember?

Shrubs complement the overall picture of every outdoor area and make it look perfect. The oleander is a flowering shrub that you like to have on the balcony or in the garden. If you want to enjoy the great blooms of the shrub typical of the Mediterranean region, you should also give it the right care. That’s why today we’re going to talk about how to propagate the oleander. We give you some important tips that you could follow.

Propagating oleanders – there are several ways to do this

The oleander at a glance

In order to properly care for the oleander, you should know enough about the shrub and its care needs. That’s why we give you something worth knowing about the charming garden shrub in the following lines.

The popular tub plant is also called rose laurel and comes from Morocco and southern Spain.

The oleander grows fast and tall. It can reach a height of 4 meters and a width of 3 meters. It blooms tirelessly from June to September and pleases the eye with its beautiful appearance.

What is striking about the oleander are its lanceolate leaves. But the flowers at the tips of the shoots undoubtedly also provide the beautiful picture that the shrub makes. They sit in cymes and come in a variety of colors including white, pink, red, and bright yellow.

In the beginning, the oleander was a status symbol for the rich and noble

What care does the shrub need?

The dainty shrub is a heavy feeder and needs a lot of nutrients, especially during the flowering period, so it needs regular fertilization. He also needs to get enough water. In addition, it is recommended that you use calcareous water for the purpose. The plant needs a warm, sunny and sheltered spot to thrive and flower beautifully.

Proper care of the oleander also means choosing the right pot for the shrub. This should be wide enough, because the oleander is a flat-rooted plant. If you repot it every year, then the shrub will feel very comfortable.

Be very careful with the pruning. Occasional pruning is not a big problem for the plant, but you should rather avoid severe pruning. Otherwise the oleander could flower later or not at all.

However, since all parts of the beautiful shrub are poisonous, you must always wear gloves and suitable garden clothing when tending the oleander.

Some species have a very pleasant scent

Multiplying the oleander – what types are there?

If you can’t get enough of the beauty of the flowering shrub, then try propagating the plant! So you would get several copies that you can arrange as you like in your outdoor area. There are actually a few types of propagation, but they vary in reliability.

Propagation by cuttings

This is the best way to propagate the oleander. And the easiest. You’ll need to cut a few pieces of flowerless side shoots between spring and late summer for this purpose. You can also use leftovers from pruning. But they don’t have to have buds. After you have removed the lower leaves, you must place the approximately 20 cm long pieces in a glass of water for rooting. Once the new roots have formed, transfer the young plants to new pots. It takes about four weeks for that to happen.

The better you care for the oleander, the more luxuriantly the shrub will bloom

propagation by division

This method can also be used in this country. It is usually only suitable for older oleanders. You have to take the plant out of the tub and cut up the root ball with a knife. It is important that all parts have enough, and if possible the same number, drives. This will give you few new plants, but they are relatively large. Water the root balls well before planting in the new pots. If you also give some long-term fertilizer, then the new specimens will sprout strongly. Soon all parts of the plant will reach their original size.

Propagation by grafting

If you want to grow a plant with special properties, you use propagation by grafting. But you need some expertise here for the propagation to work, because the propagation by grafting is more complicated than the previous two options. For example, if you want to make a variety more robust, you can use this method of propagation. So you need an offshoot of an oleander variety that is robust and grows well. You need to cut a scion that is as thick as the base. The base and scion are placed on top of each other. Then you need to wrap the interface with tree raffia and that’s all. This vegetative propagation is also known as copulation.

Propagating oleanders – Nurseries often refine the oleander

Propagation by seeds

The oleander can also be propagated by seeds, since the plant forms brown follicles after flowering, in which seeds ripen. The newly grown plants can differ from the growth and flower coloration of the mother plant. You only find out what the new plants look like after three years, because the young specimens only begin to flower in their third year. So you can breed new varieties in this way.

You need to soak the seeds in lukewarm water for a few hours. Only then can you distribute them in a flower pot. After covering the seeds with some soil, place them in a light and warm place. After a few weeks they will germinate.

Propagating oleanders – sowing is another option