Orleanders

These plants are new to us. We bought several at the end of last year and they are in pots on the patio. They survived the harsh winter, although I brought them in to the shed (late!) when we had the really low temperatures.
They are just starting to flower and most were none the worse for the experience.

 

they look very majestic!!! are they scented?

loopy

 

Another candidate for Sussexgardener's poison garden.

Use the stems as skewers to barbecue your meat, eat the meat & drop dead.

Happens around the medditeranean.

 

They look great Doghouse.
I brought some seed pods back from Italy last year and I've planted them. They've germinated so I'll see how they get on.
And yes, I do know all parts of the plant are poisonous.

 

Bar-B-Qs?

That's where in the open air you eat burnt or ash-covered food subjected to attacks by flies, that you wouldn't contemplate a second glance, if it were served up to you presented on a proper plate with real knives and forks, on a table?

"Don't you just love the smell of Bar-B-Q lighter fluid in the mornings?"

Dunno about the smell Loopy Lou, I'll have to wait until they are a bit more developed.

 

Well Doghouse. It's obvious you haven't been to my BBQ'S.
Declared world class by all who get invited !
I see a BBQ as a big treat and only serve the very best I can buy prepared and cooked the best way I know how to do it.
I wouldn't offer my guests anything less - and that wouldn't matter whether it was a BBQ or a cup of tea. My philosophy is just offer people the best you can. If you can only offer tea - then make it good tea, properly prepared and presented, even if it's in jam jars !

 

and my invitation is in the post? :hehe:

 

Doghouse.:rotfl: Sooo accurate. However you forgot the bit about "make sure you don't tell the neighbours then all their washing and curtains can stink like Dante's Inferno":hehe:

 

My God! I didn't think anyone in the whole world who didn't like BBQs!

On the subject of poisonous plants, Ziggy is right about Oleander. And careful with the seeds of some members of the Rose family - including apples (a bloke in America died of cyanide poisoning after eating, for some reason, a whole cup of apple pips).

And if you have a Castor Oil Plant, treat it with respect. It posseses the most toxic substance known to man (there's a clue in it's Latin name - Ricinis communis!)

 

Aahh, bloke in america liked apple pips, so he'd saved them up as a treat.

Last treat he ever had, the body breaks down the cyanogenetic glycosides into cyanide; stopping the blood absorbing oxygen. Very quick way to go.

Andrewh, don't make ricin in your shed, the government don't like it.:D

 

Exactly!

I also forgot about the flies on the food in the hot sun.

I don't mind having a few drinks in the garden in the cool of the evening. If it's sunny tomorrow after playing golf in the morning, I'll be sitting here in the late afternoon in the shade at the bottom of the garden, (I'll have had enough sun in the morning) watchin' "The Open" on the TV.

 

Nice oleander Dog house.:thumb:

I see you have the single flowered ones, just as well as the doubles dont seem to flower that well outside here.
I always think they have an almond like scent, but only on hot days.

 

One of mine is called Vanilla, a double kept in the glasshouse, I thought the name was due to the creamy white colour of the flowers but it definitely has a Vanilla scent.
The planted white and pink singles survived the odd -5c last winter and are now just coming into flower.

On the poison note, some suppliers to the public (via newspapers) are advertising and selling Oleanders but only when you receive them are you told of their toxicity.
I now have another 5 Oleanders thanks to a member of the public ringing the nursery and asking me to take them off their hands because of this.
I did point out that they are common garden plants throughout the Med but she wanted to be safe (grandchildren) and give them to me.

 

Lucky you, strongy .... :yho:

 

They look fantastic! On our honeymoon, we were in Greece and there are all over Orleanders, it's something gorgeous what is out there.:yho: And I had to take a lot pf photos so that my mother see them.