Double red flowers streaked with white Oleander Géant des Batailles

Credit: Candiru

Giant Battle Oleander pruned into a tree

Credit: Angel Gella

Battle Giant Nerium oleander flowers

Credit: Coline Peyrony

Flowering branch of Nerium oleander Giant of Battles

Credit: Perlado Jose Luis

Battle Giant Nerium oleander, XXL flowering

What's bigger, bloomier and more fragrant than an oleander? A Giant Battle Nerium oleander! This hybrid variety of Oleander has all the characteristics of its ancestors. Only better.

How to recognize the Giant Oleander?

The Battle Giant Oleander is an upright shrub. It reaches a height of four meters and a spread of three meters.

Its evergreen leaves grow in groups of three along the stems. Coriaceous and lanceolate, they are bright green on the upper surface and pale green on the reverse. Blades are ten to fifteen centimetres long and three centimetres wide.

Flowers bloom at the tips of the branches. Each flower measures six centimetres in diameter. While oleander Petite Salmon has five-petaled corollas, the Nerium oleander Géant des Batailles is characterized by its double flowers. Each has two rows of petals. Dark pink, almost red, they can be plain or streaked with white. Flowering takes place from May to October, and is more abundant and fragrant than in the botanical variety.

In autumn, the inflorescence fades into a green then brown pod. This fruit contains the seeds. However, in double-flowered specimens such as Nerium oleander Géant des Batailles, the seeds are sterile. So there's no point in planting them in the hope of growing a new shrub.

Giant Battle Oleander is highly toxic to us and to animals. The stem, leaves and flowers contain oleandrin. This substance causes serious cardiac and digestive disorders. It is fatal if ingested, even in small doses.

Our maintenance tips

Easy to care for and drought-resistant, battle Giant Oleander have conquered gardens and balconies. To ensure long life and abundant flowering, protect your shrub from cold and frost.

Watering

Allow the substrate to dry for about five centimetres before watering. Use non-calcareous water, such as rainwater. Moisten the soil without soaking it.

Wait for the water to drain through the drainage holes before putting your plant back in its place. Empty any water stagnating in the dish. It may rot the roots.

Spray

Your giant Battle Oleander hates wet foliage. You must not mist the plant.

Repotting

Choose a larger pierced pot than the previous one. To prevent your shrub from falling over at the first gust of wind, choose a heavy model, in terracotta for example.

Soak the root ball of your Giant Battle Oleander to rehydrate it.

Line the bottom of the pot with clay balls. You can add drainage felt to retain the soil.

Then pour in a layer of potting soil for flowering shrubs. You can also make your own substrate by mixing :

one-third garden soil ;
one-third universal potting soil
sand ;
compost.

Remove your plant from the water. Untie the root ball and place it in the center of the container. The root ball should be three centimetres below the edge of the pot. Fill in with substrate and press down.

Water for the first time. If you live in a hot, dry region, mulch the soil to retain moisture and limit evaporation.

Fertilization

You can stimulate the growth of your plant during its growth phase, in spring and summer, with fertilizer.

Apply a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants to promote the appearance of flower buds.

Prune

Remember that battle Giant Oleander blooms on the previous year's wood. If you prune all the branches at the same time, you won't get any flowers the following year. It's a good idea to shorten a third of the branches each time you prune.

Use a clean, sharp tool, such as disinfected secateurs. The plant is toxic. Wear gloves and wash your hands after pruning. Clean your tools too.

Start by removing the dead wood- it won't grow back. You can cut these branches flush. Then remove any wilted flowers and fruit.

Focus on the longest stems, which are the oldest. Reduce their length by a third to encourage next flowering.

At the end of summer, battle Giant Oleander produces the buds that will bloom next year. Prune only a third of the branches to ensure flowering the following spring.

Battle Giant Oleander are toxic. Wear gloves when pruning, and wash your hands and tools after handling them.

Start by removing wilted flowers and fruit. Using clean, sharp pruning shears, cut away dead wood. Finally, locate the largest branches: these are the oldest. Remove a third of their height.

Plantation

Once the last spring frosts have passed, you can plant.

Choose a sunny location sheltered from the wind.

Start by digging a hole two or three times as wide as the root ball. Leave the root ball to soak while you work.

Place some compost at the bottom of the hole. If your soil is heavy, add some pebbles to facilitate drainage. Plant your plant in the middle and fill in with a mixture of soil, potting mix and sand. Take care not to bury the collar.

Dig a trough around the shrub and water. The water will compact the soil and eliminate air pockets.

If you want to limit weed growth and preserve moisture, mulch the base of your plant with organic matter.

Cutting

Wait until the end of flowering to propagate your Giant Battle Oleander.

To take cuttings from your Giant Battle Oleander, use a clean, sharp tool such as pruning shears to remove a branch about fifteen centimetres long.

Remove the leaves from the base, leaving only a few at the top. You can dip the other end in cuttings hormone.

Line a pierced pot with a rich, draining potting soil, such as seedling and cutting soil.

Plant your cutting in the center and water. Half the stem should be buried in the substrate. Don' t pack the soil too tightly. The more it is aerated, the easier it will be for the roots to develop.

Set up your seedling in a bright spot where the temperature is between 10 and 15 degrees.

Diseases / Threats

Aphids

Red spiders

Mealybugs

Information

Family	Apocynaceae - Apocynaceae
Type	Nerium - Nerium
Species	Oleander - Nerium oleander
Lifecycle	Perennial
Foliage	Evergreen
Exposure	Sun
Substrats	Clay soil Calcareous earth Humus soil Sandy soil
Planting methods	Open ground In pots In tubs
Categories	Shrub Flowery
Tags	Beginner Flowery Toxic
Origins	North Africa Western Asia South Asia Southern Europe
Hardiness (USDA)	8b
Leaf color
Flower color
Fruit color