oleander

[Mum2KSS]

Hi - I have two oleanders that are around 3 years old but have never flowered...any tips please?

Good.

Oleander flowers are poisonous to bees.
Along with Lily, Rhododendron and Azalea.

Chuck them in the compost and replace them with something beautiful and bee friendly instead.

Hibiscus are nice, you can get lovely grafted ones which flower three different colours.

All parts of oleander are toxic, I would never have one in my garden for that reason.

Gosh yes I'm glad it hasn't flowered in that case!! Thanks for telling me.

What pollinates them, then? Presumably not bees - the whole purpose of pollination is to move your pollen to a different plant so it's not sensible to poison your pollinator.

Oleander can self pollinate, they do attract the odd bee through 'deception pollination' but bees (thankfully) rarely visit them unless desperate but if they do they can be fatally poisoned.

Horrid plants.

I had no idea either

Nor rhododendron, Lily & Azalea

Oleander can self pollinate, they do attract the odd bee through 'deception pollination' but bees (thankfully) rarely visit them unless desperate but if they do they can be fatally poisoned. Self pollination isn't the best long term policy as you are dependent on mutation to produce the genetic variation which is a defence against changes in conditions. Though having said that, some very successful plants do depend on it, eg dandelions. So maybe the poisonous nature developed as a defence against predation in a habitat notably short of succulent green plants, and the killing of your pollinators was a side effect.

Hibiscus are nice

They are, but they also happen to be poisonous to dogs and cats.

Don't get too hung up on Oleader, pretty much everything in our gardens are poisonous to something, and considering it is prolific in the Med, I don't think you should be unduly worried.

Perhaps.
But regardless of reason, I don't think anyone should be growing them or selling them.
We are reliant on insects for our survival, particularly pollinating ones

They are, but they also happen to be poisonous to dogs and cats

True, but the risk of coming into contact with a fatal amount is going to be fairly low, as with the majority of garden plants.
A dog or cat would have to eat a fair few hibiscus to die.
Lilies in contrast can kill cats by simply dropping a few flakes of pollen (which are then licked off) onto the cats coat.

Don't get too hung up on Oleader, pretty much everything in our gardens are poisonous to something, and considering it is prolific in the Med, I don't think you should be unduly worried

There are varying levels of poison though.

Foxgloves for instance are poisonous; they are powerful enough to kill a person.
Peace lilies (not a true lily) are also poisonous but the worst you'll get there is a sore tummy.

We are dependant on insects for survival and they are decline worldwide.
So I definately don't think we should be knowingly growing anything known to cause harm to them.

the Oleanders are now gone...can you please recommend something that is hardy, easy to care for and has tropical looking flowers and good for the planet

• Alstromeria
• Penstemon
• Perennial cornflower centaurea Montana
• Echinacea
• Monarda
• Dwarf buddleja
• Weigela

• Coreopsis
• Gaura
• Hibiscus

awesome! thanks Fucksandflowers

• Alliums
• Lychnis
• certain colours of Heuchera and Hosta
• Astilbe
• Tradescantia
• Catananche
• Evening primrose
• Helenium
• toad lily (not a proper lily)

Perennials
Peonies, especially Bowl of Beauty and Coral Charm.
Mirabilis is pretty, fragrant and resilient
Oriental Poppies are lovely as are Bearded Iris, many colours

Shrubs
Many varieties of Hebe, colours, sizes, tough as anything.
Philadelphus has a few varieties, all fragrant.
Ceanothus, many varieties, very tough, reliable for flowering

thanks longwayoff I have 3 Philadelphus, around 1.5 yrs old and have never flowered....don't know what i'm doing wrong..2 are in the front garden in pots and 1 is in a flowerbed at the back...not in shade and generally doing well foliage wise...

I have 3 Philadelphus, around 1.5 yrs old and have never flowered....don't know what i'm doing wrong - being impatient! When you first put a shrub in, it takes a while to develop a good roots system and only then does it think about flowering.