In the Mediterranean area, the home of the oleander (Nerium oleander), it is very hot in summer while the winters remain mild - deep minus temperatures like here, you may not even look for snow and ice in southern Italy or Spain. The oleander is perfectly adapted to this climate, which is why the popular ornamental shrub can only tolerate a maximum of minus five degrees Celsius over a very short period of time.
If only the leaves have frozen, there is still a chance of saving the oleander
Proper care for oleanders with frost damage
It is therefore not surprising that oleanders that overwinter outside often suffer frost damage. The frozen shoots look brown and dried out, so you should trim them vigorously with clean and sharp pruning shears. If the whole bush appears frozen, you can cut it back to just above the ground and hope that it will sprout again in the spring. When pruning, remember that oleanders only sprout from the tip of the shoot. So do not leave any long and bare stems, it is better to shorten them. In addition, you should always make sure that the roots of the oleander are always nice and warm.
With frozen roots there is no hope
As long as the roots of the plant have not suffered frost, there is always hope for the flowering shrub. With intact roots, the oleander is able to regenerate itself again and again and let new shoots sprout. However, as soon as the roots have also frozen, there is no longer any hope - in this case the shrub has irrevocably died and should be disposed of.
Effectively protect oleanders from frost
You can achieve this by primarily packing the planter properly with warming material and placing the oleander in a protective corner (e.g. under an eaves or similar) on a house wall. In mild winters, you can also bury the shrub (in a planter, of course!) in the garden. However, it is important to keep a close eye on the temperatures and weather forecasts: ground frost is the death sentence for the roots and thus for the entire shrub. Anyway, it is best to overwinter the plant at about five degrees Celsius in a bright and frost-free room.
tips
Once you have cut back the frozen oleander, you should fertilize it vigorously in the spring. The plant needs a lot of nutrients for new growth.