The Oleander is an extremely durable bush which makes dense, magnificent hedges. For people who are new to the Phoenix-area, they are delighted that such a deep green hedge could thrive in the desert. The pink flowers, although not as large and showy as the white oleander flowers, have a beautiful sweet aroma. Frost doesn’t seem to harm them.
Problems with Oleanders:
- There leaves are poisonous for kids and pets. Eat the leaves and you might die.
- Mature oleanders want to be massive. If left alone in the right conditions, they can boom to 20 feet tall and almost as wide.
- If not trimmed back, they can become very woody and branchy. Savage.
- Hauling away oleander trimmings is no small job. A single bush can produce 200+ pounds of trimmings every year.
- Oleander Trees are not real. Don’t be fooled. They are bushes that are trimmed to look like a tree, and then sold to you real fast before they sprout branches on the trunk to become bushes again.
When to use Oleanders:
- Like most bushes, they want to grow as wide as they are high. So if you want a hedge that is 8-10 feet tall to block view of a busy street, then you should allow 8-10 feet of space for the hedge to grow.
- If you own a large piece of property, you can plant a hedge on the far side to give you some space from a neighbor. But in almost every other application, people who plant an oleander end up ripping it out 5-10 years later.
Alternatives to Oleanders: