Oleanders in the garden area               The  bushes along the south wall in the garden area have developed very well – dense foliage all the way to the ground. After having been totally cut down early in the spring, they couldn’t  bloom yet, even in the summer. Now, however, a few blossoms are  visible – actually, the first ones for this year. Next year there should be a sea of flowers!

The pavilion is ready, including the doors – the only thing missing now is the seal down to the ground. The oleander bush is in good shape. During the winter, the pavilion is a little house; in the spring, especially when there is no longer a threat of nighttime frost, the walls of the pavilion can easily be removed and put away until the following winter. Only the roof remains, and it will protect the blossoms from rain during the summer. 

The little house will become the “Showpiece Oleander Pavilion”, and the bush the “Showpiece Oleander Bush”. 

The bushes have stood there since Spring 2011; this year will be the fourth winter for the oleanders planted in the ground!

The weather is a little milder again; during the day it’s slightly above freezing, during the night just a few degrees below. The pavilion is making progress; the roof and walls are made of insulating hollow-chambered plates. 

This year, the free-standing oleander bush is finally going to get a solid pavilion in order to be able to survive the winter well. The framework is already up; the roof is in the process of mounted.

It’s already December 10th and up until now, we’ve only had a few short nighttime frosts. Many of the oleanders still haven’t been moved indoors; the permanently-planted bushes still don’t have a roof. Only the bush in the open meadow has received a temporary, makeshift wrapping. The weather is supposed to continue to remain frost-free, so the protective houses can be constructed during the next few days. 

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So far, the weather has continued to be mild to warm, or just rainy. There hasn’t been a freeze yet; the bushes are still out in the open as they were before. No frosts are predicted for the short term.

The two bushes on the south side of the house, to the left nad right of the unused entrance, have grown fast and are larger than they have ever been; if one compares them with the pictures from a year ago . . .

After all this time – the first blossoms are here! In the open field and on the south side of the house – in both cases, it is Splendens Giganteum. 

In the case of the oleander bush planted out in the meadow: there is splendid new green growth, the flower clusters are already large, and some of the blossoms will open during the next few days. The tent of plastic sheeting is still covering it, certainly; it’s very simple, on a sunny day it gets so warm inside that it naturally  needs to be opened; during the night, the bush is protected. Once the "Eisheiligen"  (the ice–saints’ days, i.e. the last possible frost dates) have passed, then the tent can be removed.   

The oleanders which were planted outside have survived the winter in optimal condition. On the left, the bush in the open field; on the right, one of the shrubs next to the wall of the house. Nothing frozen, nothing dried out, nothing that needs to be pruned out. However, it was a mild and rather short winter this year. The inner little plastic-sheet house (left) and the inner plastic protective sheet (right) have already been removed. If it should get cold once more for a short period, simple protection should suffice.  

. . . Our joy is great! 

Since January 24, it’s been winter; there’s snow on the ground – during the day the temperature has been around 0 C (32 F) or slightly below. During the night it has gone as low as -8 C (-17 F).

Oleanders in the yard and on the front side of the main house

Up until now, it has been warm and the weather has been nice, that is, temperatures well above the minus range, even during the night – one still can’t call this winter. In fact, it’s supposed to get even warmer.  

When the sun is shining and the air is balmy, the plants are ventilated.

Oleanders along the front side of the main house 

The bushes are larger than they were a year ago – correspondingly, their protective shelters are also larger this year.

The two bushes (front wall of the main house) bloomed beautifully during the summer and have also grown considerably. 

This is what our weather and climate look like. 

A photo from January and one from August. 

A photo from the beginning of March and one from August. 

In the open meadow, in the problematic location, it’s time to remove the plastic tent. The bush appears beautiful and vigorous.

Now, it is important to note: 

The bush (2 bushes) were planted outdoors in 2011. 

In the winter of 2011/2012, covered only by a plastic tent, they got completely frozen. 

In 2012, they sprouted anew from the rootstock (only beginning in June) and grew to the size documented. The second overwintering followed, this time with better protection and a frost monitor. 

Remember: A long, cold winter (this year, very long) and an additional three weeks in the meadow flooded by cold water!

The pruned bush, with new foliage, is now nicer-looking than it was when it went into its winter rest period toward the end of November in the previous year.

In June of the previous year, that is, one year ago, there was absolutely nothing of it left to see . . . 

Oleander im Hofbereich

Oleanders on the front side of the main house 

After cleaning up and removing the dried leaves, the branches look fresh and alive again. The bush on the left, which is located in the sheltered corner of the house, naturally looks nicer. Next winter, I will protect the bushes better – especially the one on the right.  

The large protective plastic sheets have also been removed already; the oleanders in this location will now be exposed to the elements.  

Permanently planted in the ground, without pots, over two summers and two winters.

(Admittedly with some setbacks as well, as described).

Oleanders planted out in the open field 

Oleanders in the yard

The inner protective sheeting has already been removed; I will leave just the large plastic sheets in place for a few more days. On the whole, the oleander on the left looks good. The bush on the right, admittedly, has taken a bit of a beating.  Clearly, it sometimes got too cold around the drafty corner of the house; some leaves were damaged by frost and are now dried out. The wood of the twigs is OK.

Oleander planted out in the open

And our oleanders…? When temperatures are above freezing and the sun shines a bit, they are checked on and aired out. After next week I will remove the inner sheeting of the protective tents – ventilation then becomes easier. And I need to begin moving them out of their winter quarters; first just the large plants – protected under the arcade, etc. In mid-April, most of them will have to be outside and then their condition can be well-documented also.

It seemed – barely – that spring was about to creep in, and then it was all over again. Cold, more snow, tentative above-freezing temperatures during the day and rain as well. In this location in the meadow, the oleanders are standing with their roots still in the water. . .

Up until a few days ago, more snow fell and it started to pile up.

It’s the beginning of March, temperatures are above freezing during the day – the thaw has begun. The melting snow has left this part of the meadow under water. The oleanders are standing with their roots in the water; this condition will certainly last two or three weeks. If it should rain heavily a couple of times, it will last even longer.

Since January 12, it has truly been deep winter. First came the snow; then it got cold – again temperatures were as low as -14/-15 C (5 -7 F) for several nights.  

On January 26, the temperature was again above freezing, so I was able to check whether everything was in order.  In one of the enclosures against the wall, the little heating lamp burned out one time (of course, it was late at night and bitterly cold), but it was noticed just in time – the snow was removed, the plastic-sheeted shelter opened, a new bulb screwed in – nothing had happened. The photos of all three locations show that everything is still OK. 

Since the last entry of December 12, 2012, nothing special has been happening. It The winter weather has been mild to very mild all throughout. Daytime temperatures above freezing, even over 10 C (50 F); nighttime temperatures barely below freezing. The oleanders have been doing well in all three locations; sunshine was predicted and they get ventilated frequently. Now we’re supposed to get a period of true winter weather. It’s supposed to snow a lot.  Daytime temperatures only around 0 C (32 F) and nighttime temperatures below freezing – sometimes down as low as -10 (14 F). Not much can actually be done now; all three locations seem to be sufficiently protected against the forecasted conditions.  Admittedly, this is still not the truly cold dead of winter . . .

Oleanders in the yard

It was indeed very cold, as low as -15 C (5 F), but for the time being the intense cold seems to have passed. If temperatures are above freezing during the day, the oleanders can get aired out, and if the sun shines as it is doing today, the have to be ventilated with really fresh air, as it gets very warm very quickly, as you can see – The oleanders are doing well.  

It’s December 12; this was just a foretaste of winter, which really can’t properly be called winter until January/February.

Oleanders along the front wall of the main house

Oleanders planted out in the meadow

Tent, inner tent, and packing material have been opened; it’s warm, the oleanders look good, they also appear to feel good. So far, they have withstood the cold well in the unprotected location (with auxiliary heating) – but this is only the beginning of winter; we have a good two and a half months ahead of us. It’s only December 12 . . .

Oleanders in the yard

Oleander Vorderseite Haupthaus

Oleanders planted out in the open field

During the first burst of intense cold the previous year, these oleanders incurred major damage – will we have success this year? We have more insulation this year as well as the convector; but still, it’s -15 c (5 F).

Oleanders in the yard

During the next few days, even more severe frost is predicted, and in fact temperatures down to -12 C (10 F).  The oleanders are not under the arcade any longer; older specimens in large pots have joined the ones already in the plastic-sheeting house. A thermometer will serve for checking on their safety. The outside temperature is below freezing. Despite this, just a few tentative rays of sunlight are sufficient to raise the temperature almost to 16 C (61 F) inside this favorable location in the shelter. 

Oleanders along the front wall of the house 

Oleanders planted out in the open field

protection. Wood shavings on the ground around each bush, a few sheets cardboard on top of them, and over that yet another covering of plastic sheeting, like a tent within a tent – several layers. But the most important thing is an additional source of warmth: a small convector – a frost monitor with a thermostat, which will maintain the temperature in the small space above freezing. Meanwhile, the electric installation is just as much of an experiment as everything else. If it is to work, it must of course be done professionally; as much caution and safety must be exercised as when electrical appliances are being used outdoors. The cable into the house is on its own electrical circuit, which has multiple safeguards.

Oleander im Hofbereich

Oleanders along the front wall of the main house

The protective sheeting will be applied to the prepared framework. This way, the oleanders will still be easily accessible. The sheeting and framework will be provided with a Velcro closure. 

Oleanders planted out in the open field

The tentlike structure, which had already been used the previous winter, is set up again. The sheeting has been cut to fit a hexagonal pyramid; a Velcro closure will serve for easy access. 

Oleanders in the yard

Oleanders along the front wall of the house

Both oleander bushes were planted in early summer 2011 ca. 150 cm / 59 inches tall, 8-10 years old). They developed well over the summer and got as big as the narrow frames on the wall indicate. It was to these frames that I attached protective sheeting for the winter; tightly sealed to the wall and lying on the ground. During really cold periods, the two bushes got additional coverings of plastic sheeting inside their shelters.

The oleander on the left is in the protected niche (extra photo), the right-hand one at the corner of the house is unprotected. The house wall is cold. Then, in February 2012 we got three weeks of lingering frost with nighttime temperatures below -20 C (-4 F). The oleander on the left suffered major damage: it lost all its leaves, some of the thinner, younger branches froze and the upper stems froze; the bush had to be cut back to a third of its former size. It has grown new branches during the summer this year, has leafed out again and actually looks quite nice now – just considerably smaller. Of course, there were no flowers at all; it will go into the winter with a large number of latent inflorescences. 

The story of the oleander on the right is a short one: it froze to the ground. Dead. I didn’t dug up the rootstock – maybe something would sprout from it – I just put a small oleander, taken out of its pot, on top of it and wrapped it with sheeting so that it could be watered. This rooted into the ground right away and is growing. And then in midsummer, some very small, very thin sprouts appeared from the old rootstock. These, together with the added plant, are forming a small oleander bush.   

Will the two survive the winter? 

Oleanders planted in the open field

The bush consists of two plants (Splendens Giganteum and Mont Blanc, 160-170 cm/ 63-67 inches tall, 12-15 years old, set out in the spring of 2011) and because of the buried building rubble, they were not planted into the ground, merely taken out of their pots with the rootballs set on the surface of the soil and heaped around with soil. In spite of the not-very-good conditions, they have developed well and went into late autumn bushy, dense, and blooming.  As protection, I built them a tentlike plastic-sheeting house and wrapped them with additional sheeting in midwinter. Then, in February 2012 came the three weeks of lingering frost with low temperatures under -20 C (-4 F). The exposed location made the situation worse; there was no additional protection. It was interesting to observe that the ground inside the tent never froze. The oleander bush, however, was killed down to ground level. The protection was simply not enough. The radiation from the sun was too  scanty or non-existent for the ground to be warmed enough to be able to store heat. After removing the tent and cutting back the plants to the rootstock, the year began with nothing and the hope that something would sprout. 

The photos show that the rootstocks really did start to grow new shoots around June and now the two plants form a beautiful bush about 32 inches high, lush and green, with dense foliage and full of latent flower buds for next year. Light frosts during the night have not as yet been able to cause any damage, in spite of the exposed location.  

It’s November 17, the oleander bush remains out in the open. When really cold weather is in the forecast, I will build the protective covering again – and better than in the previous year.