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Oleander Pruning Season
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One of the most-often-asked questions on GardenLine, pertaining to Oleanders, is when to prune them. The most obvious answer is during the month of October. Yet, there's so much more to think about than just pruning in October, especially for those of us along the Gulf Coast.
First, if you don't get it done in October; November is fair game as long as we aren't having an early winter per se. Another thing I learned from the Oleander Society, years ago, is that you proabably shouldn't prune oleanders every year. In fact, advice from many oleander afficianados is to prune them heavily once every other year. Also, you may read information that talks about September being a good time for pruning. My immediate response to that is prune them now, only if the weather isn't brutally hot. I suspect that the September advice is somewhat specific to the distinct coastal areas -- within 30-45 miles of actual coast line. Oleanders in the heart of Houston, probably need to wait until at least October.
You also know it's time to prune the Oleanders when they prune them along I-45 near Galveston, and in Galveston proper. Since oleanders are a big part of Galveston in general -- sort of "When in Rome..." -- you have to know that when they're doing something to oleanders, you can too.
With that said, you know that the best pruning information probably comes from the International Oleander Society (based in Galvestion -- go figure). And they have some awesome intructions on where to prune, now much to prune and why you want to prune them in general. So, please link here for all that detail.
Click Here
Lastly, I get lots of inquiries about the so-called "poisonous" attributes of Oleanders, and while they are considered toxic and can be fatal if ingested, please read the Oleander Society's information regarding this. I would hate for anyone to avoid planting them, just out of an unfounded fears. Obviously, if you have inquistive kids who just can't help but put anything and everything in their mouths, you might want to avoid them. However, if you'll read about the "toxicity" from the experts, I think you will agree with me, that Oleanders are generally safe for the average landscape. Check here for further information:
Click Here
Until next issue, here's to
Great Gardening from the GardenLine, heard
exclusively weekend mornings from 8 to noon
on Talkradio 950 KPRC.
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