Pruning the Oleander

A few days ago I was telling you about the Oleander, a shrub with great qualities: large, bushy and with beautiful pink flowers that bloom for several months. Also a poisonous plant which can be lethal to humans and pets if ingested.

Oleander is as beautiful as it is risky, although it should not be removed from the catalog of plants that you can have in the garden. If you are not afraid of risks and want to know more about the Oleander care Today we are dedicated to a very important point for the plant to develop in good condition: pruning.

For those who do not remember, the Oleander is an evergreen shrub which can reach up to 6 meters in height and is originally from the Mediterranean. In some places it is known as Pink laurel or Balandre although its scientific name is nerium olander. Oleander bloom occurs during spring and continues until early fall.

Unlike other plants that are undemanding, Oleander requires some specific care related to pruning. Nor is it that we will have to be cutting the plant every month, but it is important to remember that throughout the year two important prunings must be carried out.

Cleaning Pruning

It is a pruning that, as the word says, helps refresh and clean the plant of leftover elements such as dry branches or others that are broken or diseased. It will also be necessary to remove the pieces of branches that do not present shoots or that are dry as well as sprouts that have been born from the root or those that are at the foot of the plant and are badly located or are weak and that is why we do not want develop more.

During the pruning cleaning It will also be necessary to check the bush very well to detect branches that are badly oriented, crossed or that have grown too tangled to cut them. The suckers must also be taken into account since they are branches that protrude too much from the plant and that must be cut as it takes away the strength of the bush.

This pruning can also be used to shape the Oleander and give it a more balanced appearance.

Flowering Pruning

Flowering pruning is the typical pruning performed on flowering plants. It is done once the most important pruning of the summer is finished and you can do it in a subtle or more drastic way. This is how the shrub will look smaller or with a short spike you will retain its size.

In this pruning, the upper third of the stems that have given flower is cut and the lateral stems are lowered. Withered flowers are also removed. The The ultimate goal of oleander bloom pruning is to prepare it for the next bloom in better conditions because by making these cuts, reflowering will be assured. Of course, I remember to always do it in summer because if you do it in spring the flowering will be much less.