Page 55 - Galveston Monthly March 2019

hOme & GardeN | GARdENiNG
The Wonderful
world of
oleanders
By Jan Brick
in 1966, Clarence Pleasants wrote, “On an island, off
the mainland of the State of Texas, is located one of the
most delightful cities to be found in America. The city is
Galveston, and it contains the most extensive collections
of Nerium oleander to be found anywhere in the world.
Oleanders are planted everywhere … along sidewalks and
esplanades, in small gardens, and large estates. Truly one
would have to visit this city of floral beauty to understand
why oleanders and Galveston are synonymous.”
alveston is called “The Oleander City,” and
particularly during the spring and summer
Gmonths, our attention is drawn to the
oleander and its unique status among the residents
and visitors of the city. it’s during this time that
the international Oleander Society hosts its annual
festival here, featuring “the colors of the island.”
During the festival visitors are invited to view the
many varieties of oleanders found on Galveston
island, and are given the opportunity to purchase
unusual varieties of oleanders, as well as to enjoy
photo exhibitions and competitions. At that time of
year, the plants themselves have shed the winter
doldrums and are delighting us with their flashy
performance, merrily swaying in the breezes, and a
virtual dancing cornucopia of floral abundance.
historical research indicates that the oleander
was mentioned in writings as early as 4000 BC and
continued to be cited throughout history. in the Bible,
it may have been known as the Rose of Jericho.
Murals of oleanders are shown in books on and
accounts of Ancient Rome. The Greeks believed that
the oleander was named for the Greek God Nereus,
and gardens of oleanders were maintained so the
blooms could be used to decorate altars constructed
in his honor.
The oleander is considered a native plant in india
and Japan, but its popularity encompassed a large
portion of the globe from North Africa, israel, Syria,
and Lebanon to the European nations of france,
Spain, and England. Also admired by the Dutch, a
painting of an oleander became one of van Gogh’s
masterpieces.
information gleaned from a publication of the
international Oleander Society, asserts that the first
oleanders came to Galveston from Jamaica in 1841.
Joseph Osterman, a prominent merchant, brought
them aboard his sailing ship to his wife, and his sister-
in-law, Mrs. isadore Dyer.
finding these plants easy to cultivate, she shared
them with her friends and neighbors. The familiar
double-pink variety that she grew has been named for
her. Soon these plants were growing throughout the
city.
it was noted that the oleanders in full bloom made
a significant contribution to the overall beauty of the
city. Oleanders flourished in these early days and
were found capable of withstanding the subtropical
weather, alkaline soil, and salt spray. Therefore, it
was logical for oleanders to be chosen as one of the
predominant plants to be used in the replanting
of the city following the 1900 hurricane and grade
raising that covered the existing vegetation with sand.
The Women’s health Protective Association was
charged with the mission to beautify the island and
MARCH 2019 | GALVESTON MONTHLY | 55