Toxic to pets and horses, fast as a wind screen, borderline on cold: oleander in the Victor Valley.
Get a Free Planting PlanOleander is toxic to dogs, cats and horses, and the ASPCA lists all three. It will grow in the High Desert as a fast evergreen screen that takes dry wind and heat, but it is borderline on cold here (damage starts around 15 to 20F) and it is exposed to oleander leaf scorch, a fatal disease UC IPM reports in San Bernardino County. Plant it only where animals cannot reach it, give it full sun and moderate drip water, and expect some winter burn.
Top photo: Photo: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 US, via Wikimedia Commons
Shrub · Nerium oleander · Also called Oleander Bush, Nerium Oleander, Rose-Bay, Rose Laurel · Not native to California; grown in landscapes worldwide
| Oleander at a glance in the High Desert | |
|---|---|
| Pets | Toxic to dogs, cats and horses (ASPCA). Contains cardiac glycosides; signs include drooling, abdominal pain, diarrhea, colic, depression and death [1] |
| Type and size at maturity | Evergreen shrub. Most cultivars reach 8 to 12 ft tall and nearly as wide; up to 20 ft in protected spots. Dwarf cultivars are smaller [5] |
| Growth rate | Rapid [4] |
| Water once established | Moderate (WUCOLS IV, Region 5: M) [3] |
| Sun | Full sun [6] |
| Cold hardiness | Survives 15 to 20F with foliage damage; tops killed by cold usually regrow from the roots (Clemson). USDA zones 8a to 10b (NC State). Borderline in the High Desert [5] |
| Heat | Heat tolerant [4] |
| Wind | Handles dry wind; planted in groups as a windbreak or privacy hedge [6] |
| Soil | Adapts to clay, loam, sand and shallow rocky soils; does not like soggy roots [4] |
| Bloom | Late spring to late summer; white, pink, red, peach or orange [4] |
| Evergreen or deciduous | Evergreen [6] |
| Wildlife | Attracts butterflies [4] |
| Rabbits and deer | Highly deer resistant [4] |
| Where it fits | Screens and informal hedges, set well away from pets, horses and play areas [5] |
Start here before you buy one. The ASPCA lists oleander (Nerium oleander) as toxic to dogs, toxic to cats and toxic to horses. The toxic compounds are cardiac glycosides, and the ASPCA lists drooling, abdominal pain, diarrhea, colic, depression and death as clinical signs.
Plenty of High Desert lots have horses, and many more have dogs. If yours does, pick a different screen. If you already have oleander along a fence line that animals can reach, that is worth fixing. If you suspect a pet ate any part of the plant, the ASPCA says to call its Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 or your vet right away.
For screens with no pet warning, look at Texas sage for a medium hedge. Its ASPCA status is covered on that page.
The reason people still plant oleander is that it works as a screen. University of Arizona Extension describes it as fast-growing, drought tolerant, sun-loving and evergreen, “impervious to air pollutants and dry wind,” and says it can be planted in groups as a privacy hedge or windbreak. Clemson Extension says its quick growth and thick multi-stemmed habit make it a good screen or informal hedge, and that it tolerates wind. NC State rates its growth rate as rapid.
That matters in the Victor Valley, where spring winds from March through June dry out yards and blow sand against houses and patios. A row of oleander on the windward side of a yard can cut that down within a few seasons.
Tree screens such as desert willow or Chinese pistache can add height behind a shrub row. For planning a screen around wind direction and sight lines, see landscape design.
Oleander is at the edge of its range here. NC State lists it for USDA zones 8a through 10b. Most of Hesperia, Victorville and Apple Valley are zone 8b, where the average coldest night is 15 to 20F. Clemson Extension says most oleanders survive 15 to 20F “although their foliage will be damaged,” and that plants killed back to the ground usually recover quickly in spring if the roots survive.
So expect some brown, burned leaves after a normal winter, and more after a cold one. NOAA records for Victorville reach down near 0F. A night like that can kill the tops of the plant.
For local freeze dates, see High Desert frost dates and growing zones.
Oleander leaf scorch is a bacterial disease caused by Xylella fastidiosa, spread by sharpshooter insects that feed on the plant. According to UC IPM Pest Notes Publication 7480, it was first noticed in the Palm Springs and Indio area and in Tustin in the early 1990s and has since spread through Southern California counties, including San Bernardino, Los Angeles, San Diego, Ventura and Santa Barbara.
Leaf scorch is easy to confuse with drought. UC IPM notes that drought-stressed leaves yellow evenly or along the central vein, while scorch yellowing starts at the leaf tip or edges and moves inward, and a scorched oleander will not recover when watered. It also says some cultivars show milder symptoms than others. If a screen starts browning from the leaf edges and water does not fix it, have it checked before replacing the row with more oleander.
NC State says oleander adapts to clay, loam, sand and shallow rocky soils, and prefers good drainage. It handles alkaline High Desert soil. Break up any caliche layer under the planting hole so water does not pool around the roots; see the High Desert soils guide. Plant in spring after the last frost (median March 18 in Victorville) so roots are growing before summer and the plant is established before its first winter.
WUCOLS IV rates oleander Moderate for Region 5, the High and Intermediate Desert. University of Arizona Extension suggests deep watering once or twice a week in summer and says oleanders do not like soggy roots. Put it on its own drip valve or with other moderate-water shrubs, not with very low-water natives. The High Desert irrigation guide covers drip zones.
Prune in early spring, after new growth shows, since oleander blooms on new wood (Clemson). Bag clippings and keep them away from pets and horses.
Deep water about once or twice a week (University of Arizona). Watch for leaf yellowing that starts at the leaf edges, a sign of leaf scorch.
Cut back water gradually and skip fertilizer so growth hardens before the first freeze.
Expect some foliage burn at 15 to 20F (Clemson). Do not cut out damaged wood until spring shows what survived.
Yes. The ASPCA lists oleander as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. It contains cardiac glycosides, and eating it can cause drooling, diarrhea, colic and death.
Fairly. WUCOLS rates it Moderate water for the High and Intermediate Desert, and University of Arizona suggests deep watering once or twice a week in summer.
Clemson Extension says most oleanders survive 15 to 20F with leaf damage, and tops killed by cold usually regrow from the roots. High Desert record lows are colder than that.
It is one of the faster evergreen screens, and University of Arizona notes it handles dry wind and is planted as a windbreak. Keep it away from pets and horses, and watch for leaf scorch.
A bacterial disease spread by sharpshooter insects. UC IPM reports it in San Bernardino County and says infected plants usually die within 3 to 5 years. There is no cure.
We checked every number on this page against the public sources below. If a rule or date changes, the agency page is the final word.
Monarch designs and installs rockscape, drip irrigation and drought-tolerant plantings across the High Desert. We will check sun, wind and soil on your lot and tell you where a plant will do well and where it will struggle.
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