Oleander

an old-fashioned, milky-juiced, decorative shrub. There are two or three species. The common oleander is a native of the Mediterranean region. In the Bermudas it is a hedgerow bush twenty-five feet high. In the Southern States it is a favorite garden shrub. In the North it is grown in tubs and is a favorite, as it requires little attention and its blossoming season is long. The tub holding the plant is set out of doors during the summer. After the blossoming is over it is transferred to the cellar or other convenient place where neither frost nor a strong light will reach it. It may also be made to blossom indoors in the winter like other house plants. The oleander is grown easily from cuttings. Its chief enemy is the plant scale. The house plant is much branched and attains a height of seven to fifteen feet. The flowers are salver-shaped and fragrant; white, red, scarlet, yellow, pink in color. The leaves are lanceolate and leathery. They are poisonous and should not be within reach of young children.