Flower scorch (?) on Oleander - any advice please!

18 years ago

Hi to all knowledgeable gardeners!

I purchased and potted an Oleander 3 weeks ago. It has been growing beautifully since I potted it, and immediately flowered. Over the last few days the flowers continue to open, but they appear scorched, and ready to die as soon as they do open. The remainder of the plant looks healthy; the leaves are green, upright, and continue to grow.

When potting, I moved a clematis plant nearby, which had a white / green fly infestation. I sprayed the clematis, plus the Oleander and other nearby plants with a ready-to-use bifenthrin spray. The aphids appear fully controlled - but I wonder if this has scorched the flowers?

I'm confident that the Oleander is in a nice sunny place and is neither under- nor over-watered. I have searched the internet for Oleander problems, but nothing appears to fit what I'm experiencing.

I really like this plant, and would really like it to recover. Do you have any thoughts please? I'm not an expert gardener Â which is probably obvious by my use of a bug-spray. IÂm just a novice who likes to grow pretty shrubs and flowers (always in pots), and usually has at least some success!

Thank you in advance for your help,

Sue

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Comments (3)

flora_uk
18 years ago
I suspect that the flowers have been damaged by rain and/or cold. If you bought a flowering oleander 3 weeks ago it had to have been brought on in a green house. No oleander would be flowering outdoors yet. If you just brought it home, transplanted it to a pot ( shock no.1 to its system) then put it outdoors straight way (shock no.2) then I am not surprised the flowers suffered. If it it has now been outside for 3 weeks all you can do is wait. It will probably recover as temperatures creep up. In future check at the nursery/garden centre whether plants have been 'hardened off' ie habituated to outdoor conditions. If they have not you will need to do it yourself. Lots of books or websites will tell you how. Also research plants before you buy them to find their natural flowering time so you don't have unrealistic expectations for them. Garden centres always sell stuff very early in the season and unless you know about a plants requirements and habits you can get caught out.

Regarding the spraying. If you are gardening entirely in pots you should be able to deal with any pests without recourse to sprays. Aphids can be knocked down with a hard squirt from a spray or hose or even just by running your fingers along the stems to squash them. Remember, if you have killed the greenfly you have also killed any beneficial insects such as ladybirds and bees. If you DO spray there is no point spraying unaffected plants. Bifenthrin kills insects on contact. No insects no contact. It won't stop insects moving in later. OK nag over. Enjoy your gardening.
pineresin
18 years ago
"If you bought a flowering oleander 3 weeks ago it had to have been brought on in a green house"

Or imported. I've seen Oleander in full flower outdoors in mid April, but it was in Morocco!

Resin
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silkvelvet
18 years ago
I bought an oleander from a garden centre, which was less than 12 inches tall. It clearly stated that the oleander should not be subjected to temperatures below 10C and kept indoors September - April.

I followed the instructions but eventually the plant (nicknamed Ollie) was too big to do that with so for a couple of years he had a mini-greenhouse sans shelves over him all Winter. Now, at about 4ft tall and five years old at a rough guess, he can fend for himself, in a garden bed. When in flower, they are gorgeous :)

Be patient with your oleander, it has been shocked, as stated before. Remember also that oleanders are poisonous, wash your hands after handling it.

Flower scorch (?) on Oleander - any advice please!

Comments (3)

flora_uk

pineresin

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silkvelvet

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