Nerium oleander Caro

The 'Caro' Oleander is a variety of Nerium oleander characterised by a compact habit and early and abundant flowering with light pink, single flowers. This particularly floriferous variety produces pink flowers with narrow petals, continuously from June to September if the soil remains moist. They are grouped in generous clusters at the end of the branches, on an elegant dark green foliage, attractive even in winter. This shrub is undemanding and resistant to salt spray and drought. It is best grown in the ground in regions spared from severe frost. It forms elegant, multicoloured hedges when planted with other varieties. Its modest growth is perfectly suited for container cultivation.

The numerous cultivars of oleander available on the horticultural market are mostly hybrids between Nerium oleander subsp. oleander, which is native to the Mediterranean region, and Nerium oleander subsp. indicum, which is highly fragrant and widespread from Iran to China. Their flowers are single, double, or even triple, and come in a wide range of colours, from white to pink, yellow, salmon, red, and even mauve. Blue is the only colour absent.

Nerium oleander 'Caro' is an evergreen shrub of the Apocynaceae family, just like periwinkles. This cultivar naturally forms a bushy and branching shrub, with multiple stems and a generally rounded habit. It reaches a height of about 1.50m with a spread of 1m, or even more. Its flexible branches bear long, persistent, thick, and leathery leaves, dark green on the upper side and lighter on the underside. They measure 10 to 15cm in length and 3cm in width. In case of intense drought, the oleander sheds some of its leaves, mainly the older ones located at the base of the stems. Flowering occurs in June-July, and again from late summer to autumn in dry climates, or continuously from spring to autumn, for 4 to 5 months in moist soil. The flowers are composed of a tube that opens into 5 thin, pastel pink petals, arranged in a spiral around a golden centre. They are grouped in corymbs, mainly at the end of 1 or 2-year-old branches. This nectar-rich flowering is followed by long reddish pods that burst open when ripe, releasing numerous small seeds with a tuft of white bristles, dispersed by the wind. Be careful not to prune the oleander too severely: only the branches that have reached a certain length will bear flowers!

Nerium oleander 'Caro' is an excellent low hedge plant for coastal areas, but also a magnificent specimen to be planted alone in a warm location. Hardy down to -6/-8°C once well-established, this variety thrives in full sun and well-drained soil. It can be combined with other low evergreen shrubs such as 'Gwenlian' Viburnum, 'Compacta' Elaeagnus ebbingei, Mexican Orange Blossom, or 'Tarentina' Myrtle. On the terrace, it will stand out in a large pot throughout the summer. In winter, in colder regions, it should be overwintered like a citrus plant in a very bright, cool, frost-free location.

The genus name, Nerium, is believed to come from its ancient Greek name, Nerion, derived from Nereus, a sea god in Greek mythology. Another interpretation links Nerium to neros, which means moist in Greek. The underlying liquid element in both interpretations is likely explained by the fact that wild oleander never grows far from water. Its long roots anchor deep into the soil to draw in moisture, even on the slopes of gorges or in the beds of dried-up rivers. As proof of its incredible drought resistance, in arid regions such as the Negev in Israel or the southern Anti-Atlas in Morocco, Nerium oleander is one of the few shrubs, along with Acacia and Retama (a type of broom), capable of withstanding the desert.