Nerium Austin Pretty Limits® Oleander

A Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Flowering Shrub, Austin Pretty Limits® is an evergreen shrub that was selected in Austin, Texas. A relatively compact shrub, it matures to a medium size with a height of 4 to 6 feet and a similar width. Austin Pretty Limits has an improved habit that's full and lush with clean, green foliage, promising good coverage. A freely flowering, nonstop bloomer (even in hot climates), the plant sets clusters of bright magenta flowers on old and new wood in spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Yep, year-round!

A Nerium oleander variety, commonly called oleander, Austin Pretty Limits has an upright freely branching, mounded habit and a moderate growth rate. With its luxuriant evergreen foliage, it creates a gorgeous screen or flowering hedge when mass planted. But it's a lovely specimen or focal point in the garden or in a container, and it's perfect for a bed or back of the border. In cooler climates, oleander can be grown as a summer annual or grown in a container, moved inside during winter, and placed in a cool, sunny spot.

An easy-to-grow plant in Zones 8-11, oleander grows best in sunny locations with average soil, but it needs good drainage. It resists disease as well as deer and rabbits and tolerates drought, heat, and salt. Oleander needs little to no pruning, but if you do prune it, wear gloves because it will release a white sap that can irritate skin, and it is toxic, so keep pets away until the sap dries.

Note: oleander is toxic if ingested

Photo courtesy of Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Shrubs