Oleander Freeze Damage Can Be Fixed By Cutting Plant Back

Q. I have an oleander that suffered extensive freeze damage this past winter. It is still brown but coming back slowly. I would like to improve the looks of the bush without killing it. Should I prune the dead looking branches or just let it go

Freezing damage to oleander.

A. Prune the oleander back to about an inch or two of the soil surface. After this, apply fertilizer and water it deeply several times a week apart.

            If it has been established for at least a couple of years it will grow back with a lot of vigor. Oleanders are very drought tolerant but to look nice they require quite a bit of water.

This oleander in rock mulch was cut back to about six inches of the rock surface. It can be cut back further than that and it will sucker back up to its origninal height quickly due to its established root sytem.