OLEANDER, 



197 



OLEANDER, OR ROSE BAY. 



(NERIUM OLEANDER.) 



" There, on the banks of that bright river born, 



The flowers that hang above its wave at morn, 

 Bless not the waters, as they murmur by, 

 With holier scent and lustre ." 



This is a splendid variety of evergreen shrubs, and quite 

 a favorite. It was imported into Europe as far back as 

 1597, and is a native of Asia Minor, where it is found 

 growing luxuriantly along the banks of rivers and swampy 

 places. The original color of the flowers is a pink. There 

 is a white variety in cultivation possessing no merit for 

 beauty, and for that reason is not much thought of. There 

 is another with a striped leaf, and one a dwarf, both bearing 

 pink flowers, and desirable as parlor plants. The large 

 and common variety will grow from twenty to thirty feet 

 high, but is getting into disrepute, for when so large it is 

 difficult to manage. In the Southern States it will do well 

 in the open ground. 



All of the Oleander family are easily cultivated in a rich 

 loam, and will grow from- seeds, cuttings, or layers. To 

 increase from seed, they should be sown in the spring, and 

 will soon come up and flower the second season. It is 

 seldom we find a florist cultivate the single variety, unless 

 for the sake of experiment, it being the only kind that will 

 seed. June is the best time to propagate from cuttings, 

 when they will strike root freely, if the soil be kept damp ; 

 for that reason a pot is the best to strike them in, and they 



