Nerium oleander Commandant Barthélemy - Rose Bay

The 'Commandant Barthelemy' Oleander is a vigorous evergreen Mediterranean bush prized for its highly fragrant, double, red to pink flowers. This variety is extensively planted in mild coastal areas, especially as a large hedge. The bush is capable of blooming continuously throughout the summer if the soil does not dry out too much. It is undemanding and easy to grow in any well-drained soil, resistant to sea spray as well as drought. Planting it in the ground is only recommended in regions spared from severe frost. Elsewhere, grow it in a large pot to overwinter like a citrus tree.

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 nearly infinite range of colours, from white to pink, yellow, salmon, red, and even mauve. Only blue is absent.
Nerium oleander 'Commandant Barthelemy' is a horticultural selection sometimes marketed under the name 'Géant des Batailles'. It is an evergreen bush of the apocynaceae family. It quickly and naturally forms a bushy, spreading, multi-stemmed shrub, with branches near the base and a generally rounded shape. This vigorous variety will reach an average height of 3.50m with a spread of 3m at maturity. Its flexible branches, covered with green then grey bark, bear long, persistent, thick, and leathery leaves, with a slightly bluish-green colour on the upper side and a lighter colour on the underside. They measure 10 to 15 cm long and 3 cm wide. In intense drought, the Nerium sheds some of its leaves, the oldest ones located at the base of the stems. Depending on the climate and soil dryness, flowering occurs in spring and early summer, then again from late summer to autumn or from July to October without interruption. The double flowers are composed of a tube that opens into light red petals, randomly streaked with white. They are gathered in pleasantly fragrant 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 a multitude of small seeds with a cluster of white bristles, dispersed by the wind. Be careful not to prune the oleander too severely: only stems that have reached a certain length bear flowers!

Nerium oleander is a resilient and generous plant, an excellent hedge plant by the seaside, but also a magnificent specimen to be planted alone in a hot location. Hardy down to -8/-10°C once well established, the 'Commandant Barthelemy' variety will grow without any problem in any well-drained soil. It can be used as a hedge, by regularly pruning it, combined with other evergreen shrubs such as Viburnum tinus, Photinia 'Carré Rouge', myrtles, Pittosporum tobira, and Phyllirea angustifolia 'Green Up'. In mild climates, it can be trained as a small tree by selecting the best stem and allowing it to branch out at a height of 1.50m or 2m from the ground. The resulting specimens are particularly ornamental but require a very mild winter that will not cause them to die back to the ground. On the terrace, this fragrant oleander will thrive in a large pot. This method allows the bush to be stored in a very bright, cool, frost-free location in colder regions.

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 probably explained by the fact that the wild oleander never grows far from water. Its long roots anchor deeply in 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, anchored in the walls of ravines.