For many garden owners, having their own oleander in the garden is the ultimate dream. Who hasn't seen those magnificent bushes, up to 6 meters tall, blooming in the most beautiful shades during a trip to the Mediterranean? Whether purple, pink, white, or apricot, and in recent years, even yellow-flowering varieties have appeared in specialized nurseries.

In the Mediterranean region, these incredibly robust plants are often used as visual and sound barriers along roads, and also as hedges. They tolerate even the most radical pruning and regrow very quickly. Older specimens in these climates require virtually no care, surviving temperatures over 40°C almost entirely without watering.

In our latitudes, however, most varieties need protection from cold winters, which is why they are usually found in pots here and brought indoors before the frost. This, in turn, means their roots cannot develop as fully as they would if planted directly in the ground. The roots heat up more and cannot seek water as easily as in their natural habitat, so you'll need to provide the plants with enough water during hot summers, preferably in a saucer.

However, oleanders need sunny and, above all, warm locations to burst into a true floral frenzy from June onwards. Therefore, during prolonged rain, you should move specimens with double flowers to a dry spot to enjoy them for longer.

Especially large oleanders, due to their vigorous growth, tend to topple over along with their pots. It's advisable to place large plants in a sheltered spot or secure the pots against tipping. Ensure the standing surface is as large as possible and improve the pot's stability by firmly mounting a wooden board or metal rods; otherwise, you'll have to right your plants multiple times on windy days.

A bold prune in spring helps the oleander stay healthy and young. Cut some branches back close to the ground, while only pruning others in the flowering area. This encourages the plant to simultaneously produce new, young branches and many flower buds, resulting in abundant, healthy blooms.