Well, this time it was an oleander. An acquaintance of ours had three oleanders in the front of her home, all planted too close to the outside wall. We had some pretty major winds come through over the last few days along with very heavy rain. As a result, the largest of the three blew over into the road. We got it back upright and staked it up, but the wind continued and blew it over again. She decided she didn't want it anymore, so off we went to rescue the poor thing and bring it to its new home in our back yard.

I really like oleander. The leaves are leathery in feel and it produces many, many flowers in white, pink or hot pink. The one we rescued is hot pink and about 10 feet tall. We placed it on the side of our yard where it can spread its roots and get lots of sun. It got some good water and food, and settled in for the evening.

Ollie is now its name and it seems to be surviving the transplant. It drooped its flowers and the leaves hung down a bit, but the plant is pretty hardy and should perk up within the next few days. It should adapt and be pretty happy in its new home.



Here's some info about oleander. Apocynaceae, or common oleander, is a fairly fast growing evergreen reaching heights of 10-15 feet. The flowers cluster at branch ends and bloom from mid to late spring continuing into autumn. I have seen oleander trained into small trees as well as used for borders.

I'm sure there will be many more plant rescues here in Florida and I'll keep you posted as they happen. Happy Gardening and keep your eyes open for a plant in need. The wind may just drop it right in front of you.