Nerium oleander belongs to the Apocynaceae family. A woody species, it is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to the wider Mediterranean basin, North Africa, the Middle East, the European Mediterranean rim, and as far as northern India, Pakistan, Myanmar and the foothills of the Himalayas. It is found growing wild along wadis, rivers and rocky gorges, where its roots plunge deep to seek moisture.
'Magaly' or 'Magali' is a cultivar selected in France. The shrub has an upright, bushy habit, supported by straight, woody stems, which branch from the base and then curve slightly at the top. Growth is rapid in hot climates, average elsewhere. In the ground, a well-established specimen reaches 3 to 4 m in height with a 3 m spread; in Mediterranean regions or in very sheltered positions, with little pruning, it can exceed 4 m in height. In a pot, it reaches 1.50 to 2 m in height.
The foliage is evergreen: the leaves remain on the branches for several years, renewing themselves gradually. They are long, narrow, lanceolate, leathery, 8 to 15 cm long and glossy dark green, most often arranged in threes along the twigs. Young stems are light green, then become greyish with age.
Flowering begins in late spring and continues until September or October in mild climates if the soil remains a little moist. The flowers are single, with five petals fused at the base, measuring 5 to 6 cm in diameter. They are gathered in large, very numerous terminal cymes. The corolla is a pastel pink, its centre white, traversed by streaks of a darker pink. The scent is present but light, rather subtle compared to some very fragrant varieties. After pollination by insects, the plant can produce fruits in the form of long, narrow, brownish pods, which open to release seeds equipped with a tuft of bristles, dispersed by the wind.
The entire plant (leaves, flowers, wood, seeds) is very toxic if ingested, due to cardiotonic heterosides; it should be grown out of reach of young children and pets, and gloves should be worn when pruning.
Oleander 'Magaly' is an excellent shrub for mild climates, often planted in informal hedges, in shrub beds or as a specimen plant. It creates a beautiful flowering screen for privacy, especially by the sea. In colder regions, it is placed in a large pot to be overwintered frost-free, in a conservatory or bright greenhouse. Pair it, for example, with the white and fragrant variety ‘Sister Agnes’, the velvety red ‘Scarlet Beauty’, the pale yellow, double and fragrant ‘Luteum Plenum’, or the dark pink ‘Italia’.
Oleander carries a strong symbolic charge: it was chosen as the emblematic flower of the city of Hiroshima, in Japan, because it was the first plant to reflower on the scorched soil after the atomic bomb explosion in 1945, becoming a symbol of resistance and rebirth.
