Considering what we would be looking at if we removed them... Id rather have them. Atleast for now. I wouldn't want to remove them untill I could replace them with something else. Our yard is fairly large and we basically had to start from scratch. Eventually all the natural areas will be cleared(except the trees) and replanted but it will take lots of time and money. Im focused on other areas right now.

Oleanders make a great privacy hedge. I grew up in South Texas where they are a very common part of the public and private landscape. My parent's house had a privacy hedge of oleanders between their house and the neighbors when I was growing up. They do require some heavy pruning every so often because they can become very large. They also live forever....those oleanders are still at my mom's house and looking good (and my kids are in their 20's. Yes, they are poisonous.....but so are many other common plants...just teach the kids that if it isn't food it doesn't go in their mouth.

There are numerous ones that it could be, but Choisya comes to mind, immediately, as mine is new here and has just bloomed. I got it at triple oaks nursery in Franklinville, last Fall.

Good job. So again, it is/was an attractive plant-no question there-but its proven invasiveness makes further use in the trade verboten-I think. Not going to drag this convo down into the weeds, but there is a huge amount of controversy overall about invasive exotic plants and their true impact. Again, not going to get into details but suffice to say, I believe each and every case must be considered on its own merits. I am one of a group of researchers and practitioners who believe some of the poster-plants for exotic invasiveness have actually never been proven to displace native species. But that said, the shrubby ones that I'm aware of all seem to create real and lasting problems. +oM